iCan't Hide This Anymore
by RorshachBrain74
Summary: This is what happens when two people too stubborn to admit their feelings get a little intervention from fate. A Seddie fic that will follow what life throws at our two favorite nubs.
1. The Collision That Started It All

**Let me just say this: Seddie? Best thing ever. Sam and Freddie are meant to be together, and if they don't last I will be one very unhappy shipper. And secondly: we've all seen the new promos for the newest season, right? I for one am glad that we're FINALLY not going to have to wait three months inbetween episodes now. A new iCarly every Saturday? Yes, please. :)**

**The last time I checked, I was a female. So I unfortunately do not own iCarly. But one day...one day I shall own Nathan Kress. And when that day comes...mwahahah. **

**Here we go! Chapter One! :)**

"Bye, Mom!" Sam knew her mother wouldn't actually hear her, as Pam Puckett was too busy chatting up some guy over the phone and wearing her newest bikini, trying to "break it in" before summer officially started in a few weeks. But she shouted the goodbye anyway, just in case, and made her way over to Carly's.

Lewbert was scrubbing up a mysterious brown liquid with dirty mop water, and thankfully didn't notice Sam entering the lobby and making her way up the stairs. She turned on to Carly's hallway the same time that Freddie was leaving his apartment.

She didn't see him, she was jamming out to a Hot Chelle Rae song on her Pearpod.

He didn't see her, he was too busy trying to untangle some tech-y type cords for the iCarly show that night.

Sam looked up one second too late.

Before either of them realized what was happening, they had fallen to the floor with a heavy thud, Freddie's spine making a painful-sounding crack against the wooden floor.

_Ooh, this nub is going to get it. Didn't Crazy raise him to know to watch out where he was going? If he hadn't have been messing around with his nubbish tech cords, he would have seen me, and I wouldn't be here...on the floor with him...pressed against his surprisingly hard chest...when did the nub get buff? This was Fredweird, he wasn't allowed to get buff. He was only allowed to do his tech assistant stuff and trail after Carly like a lovesick puppy, only..._Sam couldn't remember the last time the nub had actually stared or trailed after Carly like a lovesick puppy, or waited inside his apartment looking out the peephole for Carly.

Lost in her thoughts, Sam wasn't thinking about the slightly compromising position her and Freddie must have been in. He was pressed flat against the floor, and Sam was directly on top of him. In the past few years, Freddie had really grown: not just filled out muscle-wise, but he was now several inches taller than Sam. This didn't make much of a difference when he irritated Sam by being a nub and she whaled on him. But times like this, wher ethey surprised each other and her guard was let down, these were the moments when she realized that maybe he wasn't a _complete_ nub. He certainly didn't look like a nub anymore...

But Sam could still do without all the freaking stripes that Frednub wore.

"Uh, Sam? Sam? Saaaaaaaaam? SAM!" Freddie snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"What, dork?"

"Would you, um...mind getting off me? Please? This is kind of an awkward position to be in..."

And suddenly Sam realized that he was right. She was straddling him, their no-no squares touching in ways that the no-no squares of her and the dork should never be touching.

She immediately rolled off of him and got to her feet, grabbing her Pearpod that had slid down the hallway when they had collided. Sam started to walk away, stopped, and then went back. Next to where her Pearpod had fallen was Freddie's stupid tech cords, and he was still laying on the hallway floor, a slightly shell-shocked look on his face.

Sam bent down, grabbed the cords, and walked back over to where the dork was laying.

"Give me your hand, you nub. If Crazy comes out and sees you laying on the floor, you're going to wind up wearing more than anti-bacterial underpants."

"Hey! For your information, I don't have to wear those anymore. I haven't had to since I moved out,it was one of the conditions of me moving back in." Freddie grabbed Sam's hand and let her pull him to his feet. He knew he could have gotten up on his own, but for some odd reason he found himself _wanting_ Sam to help him up. He wanted that physical contact with her.

_Get it together, Benson. This is Sam you're thinking about. If she EVER knew that you had even been thinking about her in any way, you'd be beaten to a pulp. _

The honest truth was, somewhere down the line his focus had changed. All he knew is that i seemed like one day he went to sleep dreaming of Carly's brown hair and eyes, and the next thing he knew...his dreams were plagued by long, golden curls and blue eyes that rivaled the sky at it's prettiest. _Listen to yourself. You sound like a complete sap. Just go in there and do what you have to do for iCarly. Sam will never want to be with you._

They looked at each other awkwardly, hands still intertwined.

"Uh...nub? I'd like my hand back, please."

Freddie let go of Sam's hand, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. She handed him his AV cords back.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Freddison."

She opened the Shays' apartment door and walked in like she owned the place, Freddie at her heels.

"Hey guys! You've got to check out this INSANE video a viewer sent us. He's doing this crazy popping thing with his shoulders, it's totally gross." Carly greeting them both. Spencer walked in at that moment and started to set up his materials in the corner of the living room, beginning to work on a sculpture that for some reason involved an old toilet and brown spray all nonverbally decided that it was better all around for them to just not ask.

Sam wandered over to the fridge, inspecting it's refrigerated contents for goodies.

"Yuck. You guys have nothing here to eat, I'm going to Groovy Smoothie. You guys want anything?"

"Strawberry Splat, and a Blueberry Blitz for Spencer." Carly said.

"Oh, look at you, the little sister that can read minds!" Spencer walked over and ruffled her hair.

"What about you, Frednub?"

"Sure, I'd like a-"

"Oops! Don't care. Be back!" Sam punched Freddie in the shoulder and was gone, Freddie staring after her with the oddest mix of longing and annoyance on his face, a small smile playing across his lips. He rubbed the area on his shoulder where Sam had hit him, noting that her punches seemed to be getting less painful over the years. He didn't know whether that should be contributed to her easing up on him or the many hours each week he spent at the gym.

"I'm going up to the studio to hook up a few things before tonight's show. Let me know when the demon gets back, I need to test the new green screen effects with the both of you for the German candelabra hunter bit." Freddie grabbed his cords and other miscellaneous tech stuff from the coffee table in the living room and took the stairs to the studio two at a time.

"Kay. Have fun doing whatever is it technical producers named Freddie do!" Carly said. With both Freddie and Sam gone, she was able to replay their last encounter in her head, looking for moments when Sam and Freddie had seemed less like friends and more like they both had crushes on each other that they were too afraid to admit to themselves, much less to each other. These little moments had been happeneing with increasing frequency, and hadn't escaped Carly's attention. Sam and Freddie may not want to admit that they had feelings for each other yet, but Carly had a plan.

And everyone knew that Carly Shay got what she wanted in the end.

**Dun dun dun! There it was, my first chapter! Did you like it? Did you hate it? I know it was a little OOC, but it will get better with oncoming chapters, I just needed to set the pretense for the oncoming story.**

**See the little button down there? If you love it so far, let me know. I have a general idea of how everything is going to turn outm, but I'm more than open to suggestions. If you hate it so far, tell me why and I'll try to make it better.**

**Click it, or Sam will come after you with the butter sock. **

**You know you want to... :)**

**-Amy**


	2. Let's Do The Time Warp Again

**Hello, my glorious Seddiers! I'm usually fairly quick on updating chapters, unless either nobody reviews or I'm completely swamped with schoolwork. **

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: See? You reviewed, so you will be spared from Sam's angry, butter sock-filled wrath. And thank you!**

**To DannySamLover20: Thanks! I do try. :)**

**In case I didn't make this perfectly clear, there will be NO Creddie romance in my stories. Creddie shippers be warned, I will only ever use Creddie friendship. But Cibby, however...**

**Disclaimer: Seeing as it took just about four seasons for Sam and Freddie to get together, I do not own iCarly. I also do not own Rocky Horror Picture Show. :(**

"Pre-show snacking, anyone?" Carly entered the studio with a tray of red velvet cupcakes, a pitcher of blue lemonade and three glasses. Sam by this point had meandered up to the iCarly studio and was currently sitting on the red beanbag, watching Girly Cow while Freddie tinkered with what appeared to be the white balance on the camera. They both came over to where Carly was laying down the snacks and grabbed a cupcake (or in Sam's case, 3).

"Uh, Carls? This isn't your special lemonade, is it?" Sam asked, visibly hesitant to drink the blue liquid.

"No. Why, what's wrong with my special lemonade?"

"Have you ever heard of sugar?" Freddie said, laughing. "It always tastes SO sour. It's nasty." Freddie and Sam looked at each other and started laughing uncontrollably, which did not again go unnoticed by Carly. Just when she thought their ruthless mocking of her lemonade was done, they would catch each other's gaze again ad a fresh wave of laughter would start.

"Hey! If you two are done mocking my delicious lemonade, we have a show to do."

Still chuckling, Sam and Freddie journeyed over to their respective positions: Freddie behind the camera, and Sam standing somewhat dutifully at Carly's side.

"We're on in 5...4...3...2..." He pointed at Carly and Sam, signaling the start of the show.

"I'm Carly!"

"Which means I must Sam!"

"And if you see our smiling faces, then you know you're watching iCarly!"

The show went on normally (or seriously abnormally, if you were a completely sane and normal person) from there. George the Bra told another unscary story, Sam made Gibby give her a foot massage and five dollars. Carly (and the rest of that night's iCarly viewers) watched as Sam, Freddie, Gibby and Spencer put on another Pathetic Play, this one about a lonely British zebra who can't seem to find his way back home. They ended the show with all of them dancing randomly, and then Spencer and Gibby ran off to go pick up a piece for Spencer's toilet sculpture.

Carly, wanting to foster feelings of romance between Freddie and Sam as soon as possible, made up some homework assignment for the one class she didn't share with Sam and Freddie, knowing that Freddie would stay behind for at least an hour to do some editing for the website and Sam would do whatever until Carly was done with her homework and inevitably invited Sam to spend the night.

She was right. As soon as she left the studio, Freddie returned to his laptop and started messing around with the layout of their blogs. Sam plopped back down on her red beanbag and turned on her and Carly's all-time favorite movie, Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Sam thought she heard Freddie singing along with her when Brad and Janet sang "Dammit Janet". She was sure she heard Freddie singing along with her during "There's a Light Over at The Frankenstein Place". And when it came time to do the Time Warp, Freddie joined in with her as she stood up and danced along with the Transylvanians, Riff Raff, Columbia, and Magenta.

_It's just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right._

_Put your hands on your hips, and bend your knees in tight._

_But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane!_

_Let's do the Time Warp again!_

They were fine, the perfect distance apart, for the step to the right. When it came time to put their hands on their hips and bend their knees in tight, Sam and Freddie unintentionally got closer together. And when they went for the pelvic thrust, Sam was too busy looking at Freddie moving his hips back and forth instead of paying attention to her own dance moves.

Sam tried to watch Freddie dance and dance herself at the same time, but that was far easier said than done. The combination of the pelvic thrust and the bent knees and Freddie were a little too much, and she went falling sideways.

Right into Freddie.

Again.

"Oomph! Sam, are you okay?" Freddie asked, concern coloring his voice.

"I'm fine, just a little bit disoriented. The magic of Rocky Horror tends to do that to me."

"Disoriented? I didn't think Sam Puckett knew a word that large." Freddie smirked.

Cute smile or not, Sam didn't take backtalk from anyone, especially dorkish nubs. So she punched him straight in the stomach.

Big mistake. The contact between her hand and his stomach caused her eyes to widen. Instead of the forceful punch she had been hoping for, her hand unconsciously pressed flat against his stomach, feeling his abs. Sam didn't even realize she was doing it until Freddie cleared his throat and caught her gaze, a smirk once again on his face.

"Having fun, Princess Puckett?"

"Just wondering when your insane mother would ever let you out of her sight long enough for you to go to a gym."

If Freddie didn't know any better, he would swear that Sam was checking him out. This was also the second time in three hours that she had landed on top of him, not that he would ever complain. Her long, blonde curles flowed gently on either side of his face, and her lips were only inches from his.

But neither of these were what was most captivating about Sam's close proximity.

Freddie had always thought that Sam had pretty blue eyes, that fact had never been questioned. He had always thought that her eyes were the color of a clear blue sky.

But he was wrong.

Sam's eyes were the color of a cloudless blue sky, yes. But they were so much more.

While from a distance they appeard a perfect, crystal blue, up close there were small streaks of navy, indigo, baby blue, gray, and the smallest bit of green.

_Beautiful,_ Freddie thought. _Sam is beautiful._

"What was that, Fredlumps?"

Crap. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Sam was going to pound his face in for sure. "Uh, I said..." Freddie racked his brains for something to say that wouldn't get him killed. "It would be nice if you got off me now."

He didn't know if it was simply a trick of the light, or if Samantha Puckett had actually looked disappointed for a second there.

But Freddie did know this: Rocky Horrow Picture Show was now his favorite movie.

**There's chapter two! Like I said, as long as you keep reviews coming I will continue to update regularly. **

**So you see that little button right down there?**

**If you don't click it, Sam will give you a Royal Fizzbin. **

**Or maybe a regular Fizzbin. **

**I haven't figured out what the difference is yet. :)**

**But review!**

**-Amy**


	3. I'll Give You Three Choices

**Hola, my wonderful Seddie soldiers! Author here, and I must say that I am looking forward to Saturday and the all new season of iCarly. I mostly want to find out what Freddie did to wind up in jail with Sam...plus, there's hints of Cibby! :)**

**To Keirah, xXxStompingOnRosesxXx, DannySamLover20 and Celestial Rosie: Thank you, I shall continue to update regularly, unless something terrible happens to my laptop (knock on wood). My goal is every day or every other day, maybe more if I'm super bored on a weekend** **and have nothing else to do. **

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: I love the threats too, although as time goes on it's going to become increasingly difficult to find iCarly-related threats :) And I think that that's going to be it for the **_**accidental**_** collisions...**

**Scroll down for chapter 3, and more Seddie goodness!**

Sam was at Carly's, per usual for a Saturday night. Spencer had allowed her to hook up his Xbox 360 in the living room, and now she was playing LEGO Harry Potter to her heart's content.

"Damn it! Where the chiz can I find a character with Dark Magic? Stupid game..." Sam angrily threw the controller at the opposite wall, where it broke.

"SAM! That was my favorite controller!"

"Sorry, Spence." And she was. She loved Spencer like a brother, and didn't like when she made him mad. But with her temper, sometimes it was unaviodable.

Sam went into the kitchen and got out her Tupperware container of ham, offering some to Spencer as a peace offering.

"Sam is giving someone a piece of her ham? Call the president, because the apocalypse is coming!" Sam hadn't noticed Freddie come down the stairs from filming some random iCarly bit with Carly until he got all snarky about her ham.

No one was allowed to tease Sam about ham.

EVER.

She automatically went to go throw a punch at Freddie, but she had underestimated exactly how strong he had gotten lately. He easily caught her fist in his hand and pinned it against her back, laughing at her futile struggles to escape. Freddie maneuvered them both so that Sam was lying facedown on the floor, arms restrained by Freddie while he sat on her lower back.

"When did you get so strong, Fredbag?"

Freddie laughed. "Same time the voice got deeper. I'm not your personal punching bag anymore, Samantha. Like it or not, you have to accept that I'm not someone you can beat up whenever you want to."

"NEVER CALL ME SAMANTHA. Not unless you have a death wish, anyway."

All Freddie did was laugh again, which infuriated Sam. "Haven't we just proven that you can't beat me? And I _like_ calling you Samantha. It's a pretty name. Would you rather I called you Sammie?"

Sam didn't have to look up to know that he was smirking, that sexy little smirk that made her knees weak and her heart skip a beat. She was especially glad that she wasn't able to see it, otherwise it would have made all of her anger dissipate and right now she wanted to be angry at him.

"No, Fredward. I would not like it better if you called me Sammie. My name is SAM."

"Well, those are your choices. I can either call you Samantha or Sammie. There's also a one-time offer on the table, where if you choose, I will call you Princess Puckett exclusively for the rest of your life."

Why did he have to do this to her? She hated all of those options.

"Sam, I'd go with letting him call you Sammie. It's the least embarrassing, and it's not like there aren't people that call you that anyways." Carly said, joining Spencer by the counter as they watched the ongoing interaction between Sam and Freddie.

", nub. Sammie it is." Sam felt Freddie's weight leave her back, but the pressure on her arms never rescinded. "Now will you please stop restraining me?"

"Maybe...but you have to ask nicely. Like you mean it."

The dork was just determined to torture her, wasn't he? It was bad enough that he was forcibly restraining her, now she had to be nice too? Wasn't this just the cherry on top of a wonderful day.

_Shut up, Sam, you know you like it. He's not a weak little dork anymore, and that gets you going in ways that you never even thought possible. Accept it, because it doesn't seem like he's going to relent any time soon. And it's not like he can suddenly lose muscle mass or become less hot._

Sam struggled hard to fight against the voice inside her head that she knew was right. She just didn't want to accept that she had feelings for the nub, because everyone knew that Carly was the one he loved.

"Freddie, could you _please_ let my arms go? I won't hit you, I promise." Sam said in the calmest, nicest voice she could muster under the present circumstances. Freddie immediately let go of his hold on her wrists, and Sam jumped to her feet.

_Bad move, Puckett_. Freddie had stood the same moment that Sam did, and they were so close that their chests were touching.

_Oh, my God. Are they going to kiss? They look like they're going to kiss. Maybe I won't have to get involved after all._ Carly thought. Her and Spencer were still watching the two with increasing interest, Carly clutching her brothers' forearm with a deathgrip that would give Sam a run for her money. Normally Spencer would have complained about the pain that Carly's fingers were surely giving him, but he was too engrossed in the Sam-Freddie interaction. He wanted them to get together just as much as Carly did.

Freddie moved impossibly closer to Sam, once again noting her pure beauty. Sure, Carly was beautiful, but Carly's beauty came from constant primping: neverending lip gloss and tweezing and styling. Sam had a natural thing going, where even on days when all she did was trudge around Carly's apartment in a tank top and shorts, she still looked unbelievably pretty. Her blond curls were a messy halo around her face, and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Having fun, Princess Puckett?" Freddie whispered, noting that Sam was quite obviously checking him out this time.

Sam immediately retreated, glowering at Freddie. "Nope, nuh uh, you can't do that. We agreed that you could call me Sammie, not Princess Puckett."

"Yes, but you didn't say that Sammie was the _only_ thing I could call you. So technically, I'm not breaking the rules."

_Chiz. He's right. Bested again by the nub. _

**So...I apologize for this chapter taking so long to be uploaded, but it really has been crazy. I've had homework out the wazoo, the carpet in our house had to be replaced, and I got sick. Plus, I had initially wrote a different chapter, but I decided that it was a little too intense for being this early on in Sam and Freddie's relationship. I will upload it later, because it's actually a pretty good idea. **

**See that little review button down there? Click it, or Mrs. Benson will give you a tick bath. And we ALL know what happens during one of those.**

**Seriously though. Love it or hate it, you should review. Let me know how you feel.**

**Mwah! -Amy**


	4. Epic Dance Battle: Who Really Won?

**Hey, all you Seddie shippers! Amy here, bringing you an all new chapter as I'm catching up on the most recent iCarlys in preparation for the season premiere tonight.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: I love Drake and Josh too! And I got the idea of Freddie calling Sam "Sammie" because if there's something that Sam would hate more than being referred to as her full name, which she views as being too girly and soft, it would be being called some even girlier variation of her already incredibly girly name. :)**

**To AllyJackson and DannySamLover20: Thank you guys sooooo much! I will continue to update as regularly as I can! **

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: Thanks! And probably soon, within the next few chapters, even though I like being a sadist and make people wait for the fun stuff. Hey, it took Dan Schneider and the other writers FOUR SEASONS to get Sam and Freddie officially together...**

**To Keirah: Lol who does? And that's the point: if I leave you all wanting more, then you come back! :)**

**Here's the fourth installation of iCan't Hide This Anymore! :)**

"Hey, Freddie." Carly said, walking into the iCarly studio where Freddie was downloading a new background for the greenscreen and sorting through the fanmail from their last iCarly.

"What up, Carly-o?"

"I know your secret..."

Freddie dropped his laptop, not even caring as it crashed to to the floor. "Uhm..." There's NO WAY Carly could know that he loved Sam. Nobody knew that. He had been so careful. "What secret?"

"I _know_ you like Sam!"

Hah! This he could combat easily. "I don't _like_ Sam." He said it convincingly enough, with just enough hatred in his voice when he said her name that Carly immediately backed off. He wasn't lying when he said that he didn't like Sam; he didn't.

He loved her. But no one could ever know, or else Sam would snap every bone in his body.

"Oh. Well then. I'm sorry." And she was. She heard the thinly veiled layer of hate behind Freddie's words. Maybe she was wrong, all those times when she thought she saw sparks flying between Sam and Freddie.

No. Carly knew what she saw whenever Sam and Freddie got together. The chemistry and romantic tension between them was so thick that she would taste it, almost touch it.

There was only one explanation: Freddie was lying. He was a decent enough actor, and he'd been hanging out with Sam long enough that he must have picked up her awesome lying skills.

Carly'd just have to try harder, and be more subtle.

Three hours later, Carly and Spencer had made an emergency run to their favorite grocery store, _Hey Food!,_ to restock on the groceries that Sam had depleted them of, mainly all of their meat.

Meanwhile, Freddie had brought over his Kinect for Spencer's Xbox, and Sam and Freddie were currently dance battling on Dance Central.

"There's no way you can win at Satisfaction, oh great Queen of All Dorks."

"We'll see who laughs last, Sammie."

Sam growled. She knew she couldn't argue with Freddie's terrible name for her, but she could get revenge, and cruelly. When Freddie turned his back to take a swig from his water, Sam changed the difficulty setting from Easy to Expert. Sam was here all the time, she knew all of the moves. Plus, it didn't hurt that she retained massive amounts of dance skill from all of those lessons her mother made her go to for those HORRIBLE pageants.

"He who laughs last, usually looks pretty stupid. You ready to get a serious buttkicking, Benson?" Sam said, an evil grin on her face.

_Oh no,_ Freddie thought. _That's her "I Just Did Something Evil" face. _What did she do?

Five seconds into the song, he found out.

He was moving faster than he thought possible, and he was still only landing about half the moves in the song. One glance over at Sam told him that she wasn't struggling at all, landing each dance move perfectly.

_That blonde-headed demon changed the difficulty setting! Her and her stupid dance abilities!_

The song was four minutes of pure torture, for him at least. Sam never broke a sweat.

"You...are completely evil." Freddie said, panting. He intentionally crept closer and closer to the small blonde, backing her against the wall.

_Keep your head, Sam. He's just a nub. Don't think about his gorgeous borwn eyes, or his cute hair, or those ABS, or the fact that even covered in thin layer of sweat he still smells like the cinnamon and vanilla laundry detergent that his mom uses. _

Sam felt her back touch the wall, and Freddie's arms caged her there, an impenetrable wall of boy muscle. Despite the fact that she was already pressed against the wall, Freddie continued to get closer until she could smell the mint of the gum he had been chewing earlier on his breath.

"Unfortunately for you, I can be evil too, Sammie." He removed his hand from the wall long enough to tilt Sam's chin up towards his face.

"Uh...Freddie..."

But Sam didn't have a chance to tell Freddie no, because before she could form a coherent sentence his lips were on hers.

What he had originally planned to be a one-second thing just to put Puckett in her place turned into something more as she rose up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Their lips moved together almost violently, years of pent-up frustration and love being released in that moment.

Freddie's hands left the wall and went to rest on Sam's hips, touching the little sliver of bare skin that had gotten exposed when she lifted her arms to put around his neck.

The kiss got more and more feverish, more and more passionate. Sam felt Freddie's tongue lightly graze her lower lip, asking for admittance. And who was she to deny the nub anything?

Their tongues battled for dominance, neither one relenting.

Sam's fingers found their way up to the nape of Freddie's neck and toyed with his hair, eliciting a groan from Freddie that Sam could feel in her toes. His hands tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to him, if that were even possible.

"Sammie..." Freddie whisper/groaned, as Sam clutched him closer to her.

Occupied as they were, neither of them noticed the Shays' apartment door open, Carly and Spencer back from their trip to _Hey Food!_. Carly desperately fought the utter desire to squeal like a little girl, and quickly clapped her free hand over Spencer's mouth to stop him from doing the same. As soon as she knew that Spencer would stay quiet, Carly removed her hand.

She loved being right.

"You two are sooooooooo busted."

**Bwahahahahahahahah, cliffy! So sorry, but I want to know how you guys felt about this.**

**Review, please. If you don't...Shelby Marx will tear you up like she tore up that Russian girls' face, You don't want to need to have facial reconstruction surgery, do you?**

**Please and thank you!**

**-Amy :D**


	5. This IS What It Looks Like

**Heydihihedo, all my Seddie warriors! First off, how awesome was that newest iCarly? My favorite part would have to be (IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT YET THEN DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PART!) a tossup between when Sam and Freddie came to Carly at 3 in the morning because they had had a fight while videochatting and the part when they're at Pini's and Carly told Sam that the amount of cheese she had on her lasagna was insane, and that it embarrassed her. I mean, for Sam and Freddie to be asking Carly to referee an argument at three in the morning would mean that they had to have been videochatting at atleast 2:30, which is just so adorable. :)**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: Don't be ashamed, Phineas and Ferb is the only show on Disney that I'll still watch too! All the new Disney shows are just kinda stupid. And has anyone else noticed that they make a lot of direct God references now? My little sister made me watch a few of the shows with her and they made God references in like 3 of the different shows.**

**To DannySamLover20: Thanks, I will! And I have a question about your name...is that a Danny Phantom reference?**

**To Keirah: I know, right? I think the idea of kissing while pressed up is not only really romantic but also unbelievably hot. I also like the idea of Freddie having a little power and dominance over Sam for once, since she's usually the one pushing him around.**

**Anyway...onward, my Seddian soldiers!**

Carly was utterly shocked when Sam and Freddie didn't even hear her. They just kept going at it against her wall, a wall that she would viciously scrub down after they left.

"Hey!" Carly shouted.

Sam and Freddie jumped apart like they'd been electrocuted. Sam's hair was disheveled and her lips were red, as were Freddie's. They were both breathing hard and had the look of guilty schoolchildren that had just been caught doing something naughty.

Well, in a way they had.

"So...what's going on here?" Spencer asked, not sure if he was ready for the answer.

They glanced nervously at each other, not sure what the other wanted. Were they a couple? Were they just getting something off their chests?

"Uh..." was the universal response.

Carly grabbed the groceries from Spencer, laid them on the table, put the perishables away and then pushed Sam and Freddie on to the couch.

"Talk. NOW."Another awkward, questioning glance passed between Freddie and Sam.

_It's time to break out the big guns, _Carly thought. She went into the kitchen and rifled around for the squirt bottle that she had invested in years ago, back around the time when they first started iCarly. She needed it back then for when Sam and Freddie started arguing uncontrollably; now she needed it to pry a confession out of her two best friends in the world. While she was rummaging, Carly heard whispers coming from the living room. She assumed that it was just those two getting their story straight.

Boy, was she wrong.

After finding the little green bottle and filling it up, Carly returns to the living room only to see Sam and Freddie kissing again.

"What the hell? You guys are like rabbits or something!" Carly shouted, squirting them both viciously with the spray bottle. They leapt to opposite ends of the couch, hands shielding their faces.

"Carly! Carly, stop! We'll behave!"

"Good. Now, what's going on with you two? Do you like each other? Is this a new chapter in our lives? Man, what is going on?"

There was silence.

"Do you have any fruit?" said Freddie.

Carly slapped him in the face. Not with as much force as he was used to with Sam, but far more power behind it than Carly had ever used before...except maybe the time when she tackled him, when they were lying to her about them kissing the first time.

"Okay, okay, we'll talk!" Sam groaned in defeat, leaning back against the cushions of the couch. Freddie chose that second to look over at her again before realizing it than it wasn't the smartest decision. Sam's blonde curls were wet from Carly's sprays, and the shirt she was wearing was now clinging toher body in ways that he had never imagined.

_No, Benson. She'd kill you if she knew you were thinking about her like this._

"The truth is..." Freddie was so busy ogling Sam that he almost missed her confession. She hesitated momentarily, let out a huge sigh and start again. "The truth is that I've liked Freddie ever since Valerie manipulated him."

"Sam, that was over three years ago!"

"Almost four." Sam mumbled.

Carly wanted sooooo bad to let out a fangirl squeal, but she repressed it. She would ruin everything if she allowed herself to become overly excited at the prospect of her best friends becoming a couple. "Freddie? I asked you a little while ago if you liked Sam. You told me no. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't," Freddie said simply. Sam slumped in her seat, visibly dejected.

"See, Carls? This is why I didn't tell you-"

"Let me finish, you blonde demon. I don't like you. If I liked you, the constant beatings you give me would have thrown me off by now. So no, I don't like you. I love you." Freddie allowed a huge breath to fly out of his lungs, feeling like a giant weight had just been lifted off of his shoulder.

Carly didn't care anymore about restraining herself. She let out the girliest, fangirlish squeal that Sam and Freddie had ever heard, even worse than when they went to Webicon.

**So listen up you guys. I went on to my traffic stats for this story for the first time today, and I was blown away by the sheer amount of you that have read what I write. The number is in the thousands, and climbing! **

**Because of that, it makes me upset that I only have like 4 people that review regularly. I really do appreciate your feedback, it makes me feel awesome to know how you feel about the story and what you want to see happen. **

**I am seriously considering holding the next two chapters that I have already written hostage until more people review. I don't want to do it, but I want to know what you guys think about the story, or the new season of iCarly, or what other pairings you want to see (except Creddie, that I refuse to do unless it's just Creddie friendship).**

**Review, please. For the children? If you don't, Leann Carter will win her 100th pageant and who wants that? ;)**

**Yours, Amy.**


	6. Things Become A Little Clearer

**So THIS is what happens when you all get a little motivated. I must say, it feels nice to wake up in the morning and see all of your nice reviews, it makes getting through first period AP Calculus so much better. And then I came home to even more reviews, and it made me smile. So thank you! I know that most of you who read this still aren't reviewing, and that makes me a little sad, but those of you that care enough to review make my day.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: It IS a weird question, but I stole that smidgen of dialogue from iLost My Mind. I just found it so funny that Freddie always tries to deflect when Carly wants him to talk about his feelings. **

**ToArocksprpl2, mintydinosaur (love the name, by the way), MayRaah and shugoi: Thanks for your words of love! They really do brighten my day and keep me focused on updating more. :)**

**To MissSeddie: Oh em gee, that would be AMAZING, and much appreciated. **

**To kiyokoseddie: I would love for all of this to happen on the show too,but Dan Schneider would never allow it because it really is too intense for Nickelodeon.**

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: I know how you feel! I get that way sometimes too when I'm reading a particularly good fanfic, and I apologize if I unintentionally got you into any trouble with your parentals.**

**To DannySamLover20: I shall keep going, definitely for a large amount of chapters. And quite honestly, I don't remember the last time I saw Danny Phantom. I miss it; that show was awesome.**

**Sorry, people who just want me to just get on with the story already, but I believe in openly thanking anyone who reviews. **

Sam looked at Freddie first, mouth agape. Every time she had even remotely considered telling the nub how she felt, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would reciprocate, much less possibly like her more than she did him.

She looked at Carly. The squeal that Carly had let out not seconds ago might very well have shattered her inner ear, but it's not like Carly cared. The prissy princess just contined to sit crisscross applesauce on the coffee table, grinning at Sam and Freddie like a huge doofus.

Back at Freddie. The chocolate eyes that she had grown to love so much were drilling holes into her brain, captivating her, making her want to stay there forever...

With as much willpower as she could possibly muster, Sam looked back at Carly. The brunette was smiling even wider than before, eyes flickering between Sam and Freddie.

"I'm gonna go." Sam said. She wanted so badly to stay at Carly's again that night, but with Freddie sleeping right across the hall now knowing how she felt about him would make that impossible. So she grabbed her phone and walked out the door, leaving her best friend and the boy she loved behind her.

Freddie and Carly sat in silence for about five seconds.

_Why isn't he going after her?_ Carly thought. No matter how tough Sam appeared to be on the outside, deep down Carly knew that there was a girl who liked to be hugged and coddled and told she was beautiful.

Carly decided to voice her thoughts. "Dude. You just admitted that you love her, and you let her leave? GO AFTER HER."

Freddie didn't need a second opinion. He dashed out of the apartment, not even bothering to grab his phone or put on his shoes.

"Sammie! SAM!" Freddie called, finally seeing her standing in front of the elevator. SHe looked up at him and her sad expression quickly changed into a smirk.

"You called me Sam."

"I was worried! My primary focus was not on irritating you!"

Everything was quiet for minute.

"Freddie...did you mean what you said in there?"

Freddie laughed wryly, running his fingers through his now-disheveled hair. "Every goddamn word, Princess."

"Well, I lied."

The slight smile that had grown on Freddie's face in those few seconds disappeared.

"What?"

"You heard me, you nub. I said I liked you and I lied."

Not wanting to respond to Sam in case his voice betrayed him, Freddie turned his back on Sam and walked down the hall back to his apartment. Because of Sam's stealthiness he didn't notice her running up behind him until she grabbed him by his arm and swirled him around. Her blue eyes blazed as she locked her fingers on the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to meet hers. Freddie was shocked for the shortest of seconds and then he reciprocated, pulling Sam closer to him, one hand on her waist and the other tangled in her curls.

They stayed in that position for a good minute, until the need for air overwhelmed them both. Their lips detatched but they didn't move away from each other, still close, gasping for breath.

"I love you," Sam said breathlessly.

And there it was, eight letters that made Freddie want to simultaneously jump for joy and punch the wall as hard as he could. "Come here, there's something I want to show you." Freddie took Sam's hand, interlacing her fingers with his and pulling her to his apartment. Mrs. Benson was working, and wouldn't be home for hours.

"What is it you want to show me, you dork?"

Freddie grabbed Sam by her hips and puller her tight against his chest. "Nothing," he whispered. "But if Carly or Spencer interrupt us one more time..."

He brought Sam's lips to his once more, not caring about the fact that they haven't seriously talked about their relationship. All they both cared about was each other, and the way that their bodies were intertwining as their mouths moved furiously against one another's. Freddie lightly bit Sam'slower lip and she granted him access, their tongues once again combating.

They both unspokenly agreed to move to a slightly more comfortable position, moving over to the couch while managing to never break contact with each other. Sam broke the kiss long enough to push Freddie on to the couch and sit on his lap, their lips colliding again with a passion that would put the sun to shame. Sam started to unbutton the light blue button-down that Freddie had been wearing, wanting to finally see the dork's buffness.

"Whoa." Sam said, laying both of her hands flat against Freddie's abs. He chuckled and brought her face down to his, missing her warmth.

Soon after that Sam shedded the penny tee she had on, remaining in only a tiny purple striped tank top that she had stolen from Carly that morning.

Freddie's hand immediately went to the large portion of Sam's exposed waist, loving the way her warm skin felt against his hands, loving the way she gently shuddered and groanedwhen he did so.

Their kiss ended eventually, both of them smiling at each other breathlessly with red lips. Freddie turned on the TV and found House playing, a show they both loved. Sam loved how House was so mean to his team and patients, Freddie loved how House always managed to solve his patients' problems by having an epiphany from a commonplace conversation.

Sam and Freddie stayed that way for hours, with the slight adjustment of Freddie moving Sam from on top of him to directly in front of him as they both laid length-wise along the couch, one of Freddie's arms draped over her waist and the other playing with a curl on the top of her head.

**Okay, that's it for tonight. I loved that more people reviewed, but as the number of people who read this just jumped into the two thousands, I still don't like that only nine people reviewed. Flame me if you so choose, compliment me if you so choose, but I want to know your thoughts on this! On all of this! So until more people review, and I'm talking about more than single-digit numbers, I will not post the next chapter. **

**So review, please! If not, Mrs. Briggs will trap you in her Randy Jackson closet and force you to listen to her and Mr. Howard make out.**

**Faithfully, Amy.**


	7. I Like These Cages

**Hello to all my glorious Seddie warriors! New iCarly coming up, more Seddie, super excited about that :) Plus I have a three-day weekend AGAIN (legit, I have not had a single full week of school since school started a month ago) so I will update lots, depending on how many of you review. **

**To Arocksprpl2: Thanks! And no problem, I like giving a shoutout to the wonderful people who review. It makes me happy to make you happy.**

**To kiyokoseddie: Thanks, and isn't House like the most amazing show EVER? I almost died when I found out that the newest season doesn't start until October 3rd...sadface :(**

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: Oh my goodness, thank you so much! And this story is only rated T, Sam and Freddie aren't going to get down and dirty. So no worries, yourcomputer history will remain blissfully appropriate. And would they really pee on your grave? That's amazing. :)**

**To Celestial Rosie: No joke, your review made my day, cheering me up from what had been an extremely bad mood. It had progressed to the point where I had started to cry out of anger and stress in my Accounting 3 class, and then I checked my email and read your review and it made me feel so much better. So thank you for cheering me up, and thank you for those extremely nice and kind words.**

**To Miss Seddie: Thanks! I try to put a lot of detail into everything because I write how I think. :)**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: You caught me! I did awwww when writing that last chapter! I can't wait for this newest iCarly, and to see Mrs. Benson's reaction to Seddie.**

**To Quinno96, Mary Rachel, KikyoHimura, DannySamLover20, and ghettoboy82: Thanks for your awesome, unbelievably kind words! It's reviews like yours that keep me motivated and make me keep writing and update sooner. :D**

_What was taking them so long? _Carly thought. Freddie had rushed out of her apartment nearly an hour ago, leaving his shoes and Pearphone behind. Under the guise of returning his things, Carly decided to go over to his apartment and see what was going on.

She grabbed his phone and shoes, shouted a goodbye to Spencer and was out the door.

Surprisingly, Freddie's door was unlocked. Mrs. Benson had in place a very strict locked doors rule when she was at work, even accompanied by a rhyme that Carly had long since forgotten.

Carly quietly opened the door to the Bensons' apartment, not wanting to interrupt anything that might be going on.

It was dark, which surprised her.

It was silent, which surprised her even more.

She fumbled for the light switch she knew to be by the door and flipped it up when the tips of her fingers found it.

Carly flew from being surprised to being downright SHOCKED.

She thought for one fleeting moment that they had finally killed each other. They were both laying on Freddie's couch, curled up against one another, fast asleep. Freddie's TV was still on, an episode of House running.

Carly knew she had only seconds before they woke up. She whipped out her phone and snapped a picture of the sleeping duo.

As soon as the picture saved to her phone, the blonde and the brunette resting on the couch began to stir. Carly shoved her phone in her pocket just as Sam's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh hey, Carls."

"HEY, CARLS? You guys are sleeping together, not filling me in by the way, and all you can say is hey?"

"Don't make this sound dirtier than it is, Shay." Remarkably, through all the screaming Freddie was still asleep. Carly assumed that he had been losing a lot of sleep over his situation with Sam, and she instantly felt kind of bad, barging in there and yelling like that. Carly immediately lowered her voice to a low whisper, wanting Freddie to catch up on some obviously much-needed rest.

"Look, can you just come across the hall with me so we can talk, girl-to-girl?"

Sam sighed and tried to detach herself from Freddie's arms, which were both wrapped around her waist, holding her to him spoon style. Every time she tried to wriggle free, his arms just hugged her tighter. Not an uncomfortable tight, just tight.

If she was being honest with herself, she liked the fact that he had gotten stronger than her.

"Uh, Shay? I'm kind of stuck here. I'll be over as soon as the nub lets me up."

Her best friend smirked. "You don't sound like you hate it that much, Puckett."

"Whatever, Carly. Just go. Momma wants her sleep."

Still smirking, Carly left the Benson apartment. Across the hall, Spencer was working on a new sculpture, something to do with a purple koala bear. "What happened to the last one, the one with the toilet?"

"...nothing," Spencer muttered guiltily, almost too low for Carly to hear.

"Set it on fire?"

Spencer nodded. "Uh huh."

_Typical Spencer, _Carly thought.

After Carly left, Sam drifted back off to sleep, lulled back into dreamland by the protective, warm cage that was Freddie's arms.

The duo laid like that for at least three more hours, until the sound of something crashing to the floor in that hour's episode of House woke Freddie and Sam up.

Still groggy, they didn't register the position they were in on the couch. After determining that it was only the TV, Freddie and Sam laid back down on the couch, Freddie's arms still wrapped around Sam and her head laying on his chest.

Then, as if she had been struck by lightning, Sam removed herself from Freddie's grasp and ran to the recliner on the other side of the room, curling herself up in a tight ball.

"Sammie, what's wrong?" Freddie was concerned. Of all the reactions he had anticipated, this wasn't one of them. For a split second, he had hoped that she would kiss him again. Honestly, he had expected Sam to hit him for holding her too close. But her freaking out? Not something he had expected.

"Us. This. Freddie, I'm all wrong for you. I'm abrasive and agressive and I'm rude and uncouth and I'm not a daffodil or even beautiful like Carly and you say you love me and you know I love you but one of these days I'm going to do something that makes you mad and you'll hate me for it, because that's just what a Puckett does. I don't want to put you through that kind of chiz, Benson." With that, Sam ran out of his apartment and over to Carly's, slamming and double-bolting the door behind her so that Freddie couldn't get in to her. She flew up to Carly's room, taking the steps three at a time.

"Sam, Carly's not home! She went to Groovy Smoothie!" Spencer shouted up to her from the kitchen. He knew that the blonde would just wait in Carly's room for her anyway, but he felt obligated to let her know.

Sam flopped down on to Carly's bed, exhausted depsite the sleep she had just gotten. Her confession to Freddie, the opening up of the walls around her heart, the saying what she really felt, all of that had exhausted her. She dimmed the lights in Carly's room, curled up under the covers, and fell asleep.

Sam's last thought before sleep claimed her for the third time that day was the hope that Freddie would understand. Understand her motives for not wanting to be with him, even though the thought of not being with him made her heart hurt in ways she couldn't comprehend.

_Freddie..._

**So? Over 3,000 of you have read this, which is pretty amazing. I'm so sorry that this took so long to update, but it's pretty hard to type on my laptop when I have a brace on my wrist. **

**Thank you to all who reviewed! You make my world a happier place.**

**If I have not posted a new chapter yet, that means that I haven't gotten enough reviews yet to make me want to update. So review, because I just finished the next chapter and it's AMAZING, if I do say so myself. Review if you want to read it!**

**-Amy**


	8. Sleeping Beauty? Yeah, Right

**Hey guys! I'm really, really proud of this chapter. I wanted to write it so bad that I actually took off my wrist brace to do it properly, which is saying something because even as I'm typing this my wrist is in some hella crazy pain right now. I love Seddie and this story THAT much.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: I actually have no idea what happened to my wrist, I didn't fall or trip and land on it like I usually do. It just hurts like crazy no matter which way I move it and it's all swollen. Thank you for the get well wishes! And I love when people sleep all intertwined like that too! I fell asleep one time with one of my best guy friends and we woke up like that: my face was all pressed against his chest and his arms were wrapped around my back. I don't like him in any romantic way, I've been in love with the same guy (that's not him) for three years, but it was nice all the same. **

**To Celestial Rosie: Awwwww! Tell your little sister I said thank you, and that I love her now! And you're going to Delaware? I live in Delaware! I mean, I live in a little podunk town in Delaware, but it's still my home. Once again, your review made me smile. A loooooooot. And I love descriptive words! That's why they're there ;)**

**To Mayraah, DannySamLover20, Arocksprpl2, and princesscleo123: Thank you guys sooooooo much! I love all the nice things that you say! :)**

Sam woke up snuggled in the blankets on Carly's bed, completely content.

"Thank god you're awake. I thought I was going to have to call a doctor." Sam barely heard Carly's voice through the thick cocoon of blankets.

"Chiz, Carly. How long have I been passed out?" Sam stretched her verious limbs and joints, totally surprised to find that the action hurt like crap. How long had she been out? Her last record had been two days straight, but that was after her and Carly had done iCarly for over 24 hours straight to get into the Jonas Book of World Records with the world's fattest priest.

"Over a day, Sam. Like, seriously. I was getting seriously worried. So were Freddie and Spencer."

"I'm fine, Shay. Can you leave? I need to get decent."

"Okay. Although we're best friends, Sam. It's not like I haven't seen you in your underwear and such before." Sam heard the soft sound of Carly's retreating footsteps, and the click of the bedroom door.

Although it was the last thing she wanted to do, Sam left her safe cave of comfort and went to Carly's adjoining bathroom. Because of her frequent presence in the Shay household, Carly always kept a large amount of Sam's clothes there, along with a toothbrush for her and Sam's favorite coconut-scented shampoo and conditioner.

The hot water of the shower helped clear Sam's head about the whole situation with Freddie, She loved him, that much she knew. But he was destined for great, wonderful things, and would probably wind up marrying some pleasant enough but bland girl, live in the suburbs and have two adorable little kids, one of each gender because his life would work out that perfectly.

Sam hated admitting to herself that she wanted to be who Freddie came home to after a hard day doing whatever complicated techie thing he would inevitably accomplish, the one who he kissed on the top of her head as he waled through the door, the one who he would look at with nothing but love.

She even wanted the kids that he would have one day, because she knew that if he married that nice but dull girl that his kids would be bland little nerds with no backbone, but that wouldn't matter because they would more than likely inherit his beautiful chocolate eyes, and that would balance out their eventual nubbiness.

But she, she was meant to have a somewhat mediocre life. Barely graduate high school with the knowledge that she could have done so much better if she cared enough to apply herself properly, not go to college because she's Sam and she just doesn't DO school. She'd wind up working some crappy, minimum-wage job at some terrible place like Chili My Bowl, marry some jerk just for the sake of it and have some bratty daughter, because fate is cruel and would stick her with the same sort of child she was. Sam knew she would be just as horrible a mother as Pam Puckett had been to her.

That's why she had to let Freddie go, even if it meant breaking both their hearts in the process. She loved him, she was IN love with him, but she didn't want to keep him chained to Seattle and do something he would regret and wind up hating her for later on in life.

Sam shut off the water and got out of the shower, slightly depressed but determines with the path she was taking.

She dressed in her favorite "Special Ham" penny tee and a pair of shorts that she was pretty sure actually belonged to Carly, because they were a little too short to have been something that she had bought. But she was Sam, and she was lazy, so she didn't change. The shorts weren't inappropriately short, but they were still a little less than halfway down her thigh, a length that she wasn't used to. Sam liked her Bermuda shorts, they were comfortable and less revealing.

Sam remembered something about Carly asking her if she wanted Carly to do her hair for her earlier. Normally Sam would flat-out refuse, but Carly was terrible when she didn't get her way. One look out of Carly's bedroom window told her that it was going to rain today, which made her happy. Whenever Carly offered to do her hair it always meant that she would straighten it, and then bombard her skull with various mousses and gels and hairsprays to hold the straightness in place. It worked...sometimes. But Sam's hair was stubborn, and if it was even a little humid and she went outside her hair would immediately begin to curl again. Since the chance of rain was impending heavily, Sam knew that Carly would leave her hair and its unruly curliness alone.

Looking around Carly's room, she grabbed her backpack. There was no school that day, which Sam was unbelievably thankful for (To everyone else, they thought that it was just because Sam was lazy and hated school. But to Sam, it meant a day free from the torture of seeing Benson in almost every class). Unfortunately, Carly and Freddie had seen Sam's last report card and were disappointed that she hadn't gotten a grade above a B. Sam was just proud that she wasn't failing anything this time around.

Between Carly, Spencer and Freddie, they had someone that excelled in every subject that Sam was taking. So they had sat Sam down a few days ago and told her that the next non-school day they would tutor her, because she really was smarter than that. Sam grudgingly made her way down the stairwell and to the Shays' living room, where the two of the three people that were closer to her than anyone in the world were waiting for her. Carly was sitting on the couch and Spencer was sitting at the computer. Freddie was nowhere to be found, although he was probably still over at his place. It WAS early, after all.

"We've been waiting for you, Samantha." Spencer said menacingly, spinnign around slowly in the red stool next to the computer.

"Well you're going to have to wait a little while longer, because Momma's not doing CHIZ until she gets some food in her."

Carly and her brother had obviously anticipated this, because there was a bowl of Fruity Pebbles and a plate loaded up high with bacon waiting for her at the table.

Sam ran towards the kitchen table, her pointer finger guiding her way to the food awaiting her like a St. Bernard looking for survivors after a snowy avalanche.

"Oh...my...god. Spence, this bacon is absolutely amazing."

"It's Canadian!" Spencer said, a goofy smile on his face. "Which really means it's just fancy sliced ham, but it's fancy sliced ham from another country!"

Sam quickly polished off the delicious bacon, and then nearly inhaled the Fruity Pebbles. After she was done and her dishes were washed, she plopped down on Carly's couch to begin what was sure to be hours upon hours of torture.

"Sam, DON'T MOVE. Spencer and I have to go get the dry erase board from the storage unit, and some other stuff for if you get distracted and try to skip out on us helping you." Carly said to the anxious, jittery blonde.

Sam really didn't want to know what Carly and the others would do to her if she tried to run before the educating began.

So she stayed like a good little girl on the comfy red couch, laying back so she could stretch out her petite frame and closing her eyes, hoping to take a small nap before Carly and Spencer returned.

Just as Sam had gotten good and comfrotable on the couch, Freddie walked in. He was almost as bad as she was about not knocking, but he at least gave a warning knock on the door before barging in, whereas Sam usually just came in like she owned the place.

Sam didn't even bother opening her eyes. She might have, if Freddie hadn't yelled his typical Spanish greeting. Once she knew it was Freddie, she didn't bother moving. Plus, it was easier for her to stick to her previous resolution when she couldn't see him.

Freddie set down the textbooks he brought with him on the edge of the Shays' coffee table, taking in Sam's appearance.

The penny tee she wore was nothing new. The unusually short shorts, however...

Sam hated looking girly, hated it with a passion. But the rest of them hated that she felt that way, because Sam really was beautiful but constantly disguised it with clothes that hid her beauty instead of flauting it. Freddie guessed that Sam couldn't find a pair of her own shorts, so she borrowed a pair of Carly's. They were basic black exercise shorts with a white stripe along the side, but they only covered about 40% of her legs.

Freddie wondered for what had to be the millionth time how Sam could eat so much but still stay so skinny. No, she wasn't as tiny as Carly, but Carly weighed maybe 100 pounds and it showed. It worked on Carly, who never really had that much of a figure.

But Sam...

Sam had curves in the places that mattered. It flattered her, because if she had Carly's body type then she would look like a little kid and it would be terrible on her.

It took everything that Freddie had to yank his eyes away from her body. If Sam opened her eyes for any reason and caught him staring at her like that, he'd probably be dismembered. He wanted so badly to cross the room and kiss her, but after her outburst the other day he knew that that wasn't what she would want. What he wanted more than to kiss her was to know what the chiz had happened in her brain to make her think that there wasn't even a remote possibility of them having a decent relationship, but that seemed like another taboo topic. So he guessed that she was going to go back to the way they were before, the violence and the teasing and the pranks and the arguments and the unbelievable, incredibly palpable romantic tension.

What Freddie could not do was not look at Sam. As long as her eyes were still closed, he was safe enough to look at her face, study how angelic she appeared when she wasn't planning something devious.

Sam's hair descended halfway down her back in golden curls, looking more like Rapunzel's wilder sister than Freddie would ever verbally admit. Her skin was unusually soft for someone that didn't believe in the various moisturizers and scrubs and facial masks that Carly so preferred. A fan of dark brown lashes rested lightly on the tops of her cheeks, and a handful of light brown freckles were scattered sparsely across her cheeks and nose.

Freddie went to analyze his favorite feature of Sam, her eyes, expecting to see the tan of her eyelids.

Instead, Sam's blue kaleidoscope eyes greeted him.

"Why exactly were you staring at me like some sort of pedo creeper?"

He had no good explanation that she would be satisfied with, so he threw caution to the wind and decided to tell her the truth. "Because you're beautiful."

Her face softened, and for the briefest second he could see past the steel walls that Sam constructed around her inner self, walls that protected her from getting hurt.

But the second passed, Sam's eyes hardened, and the walls rebuilt again.

"Freddork, listen up..."

"No, Sammie, YOU listen up. I don't know what the hell that chiz was the other day in my apartment. You tell me you love me and then we share those unbelievable kisses and fall asleep together and then I wake up from the greatest dream I've ever had just to have you tell me that you don't want to be with me?"

Sam's eyes grew wide. What Freddie said, especially about having the best dream of his life when they fell asleep on the couch together, that stuck with her. She'd also had the most amazing dream those few hours.

Her only problem was, she didn't know what to say to him, didn't know how to express to him her utter love for him and the desire she had for him to go out in the world and become everything he was meant to be, unencumbered by Sam.

"So THAT'S what happened? You guys don't tell me ANYTHING anymore." The sound of Carly's voice filled the apartment. She and Spencer were standing in front of the elevator with all the necessary teaching supplies they would need to tutor Sam.

"How long have you been there?" Sam and Freddie said at the exact same time. Sam glared at Freddie.

"Just long enough to hear what Freddie said."

"Alright, you teeners can discuss your romantic woes later. Sam needs to be educated!" proclaimed Spencer, setting up the dry erase board in front of the counter and moving the couch around to face the counter so that Sam couldn't be tempted to stare at the television.

Thus began what Sam knew would become a weekly occurence in the quartet's life. Although whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, Sam didn't know.

**Oh...my...goodness. I have no idea where that came from. It's sooooo long! But I love it, i think I want to make all of my chapters that long now :)**

**I have an idea of writing a chapter for each of Sam and Freddie's dreams from when they were sleeping on the couch, but I'm not sure. Do you all want that?**

**Review please. If not, then no new chapters will be posted. If there has not been a new chapter posted when you are reading this, then I have not gotten a sufficient amount of reviews. **

**-Amy**


	9. I Don't Know What You Want From Me

**Over 4,000 of you have read this so far? That's amazing. Really, it astounds me to know how many of you love this and keep coming back on a regular basis. Plus, every time I post a new chapter the viewer stats skyrocket, and each chapter seems to bring more people in than the last. And I have a terrible confession to make: I lost inspiration for this story. I WAS going to write what Sam and Freddie dreamt about, but every time I try I screw it up, and then I lose interest. So I'm going back to the regular plotline. If I feel the serious need to go back to their dreams later on, I will. **

**PS: I am still in an extreme amount of pain, so I apologize if the updating of these next few chapters takes a little while. My left wrist is giving me some serious chiz. The doctor told me that I have carpal tunnel from typing too much...oh, the irony.**

**To Geekquality, KiyokoMcCurdy, DannySamLover20, MissSeddie, RabxBlack and Quinno96: Thanks soooooo much! **

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: I love the idea of Sam caring about Freddie's happiness over her own, it seems like something Sam would do. And you have a Star Wars nerd named Nathan? HOP ON THAT. Star Wars nerds can be effing adorable. The REAL Nathan Kress is a Lord of the Rings nerd, which is still unbelievably hot. Oh, Nathan Kress...**

**To Celestial Rosie: OH NO! What happened to my littlest fan? Tell her I hope she's okay! I want to keep all of my chapters as long as that last one. Thank you for your ideas for when the story returns to normal, I will most definitely teep them in mind when I am writing and very possibly incorporate them in somehow.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: As always, your reviews make me get that fluttery feeling in my stomach that I always get when someone leaves me an AWESOME review. And I love how you reviewed, while you read the chapter. I have no idea where I got those random bursts of inspiration, they just crop up whenever I get on a roll. I think I typed all of that less chapter in less than an hour o.O**

Spencer, Carly and Freddie had started immediately with Sam's tutoring, Carly going first with her vast knowledge of English, the subject Sam was failing the worst.

Sam hadn't been paying attention, zoning off into space while Carly attempted to instruct her on the differences between looking at a text through a Formalist lens and looking at a text through a Psychological lens.

Carly didn't suspect that Sam wasn't paying Carly any mind at first, because in the seventh grade Sam had mastered the art of daydreaming while staring directly at the board and nodding occasionally. It was when Carly asked Sam what Romanticism was that she noticed that Sam's mind was somewhere far, far away.

"Sam? Sam? SAM!" Carly said.

"What?" Sam asked, not even having the decency to look guilty.

"I asked you a question!"

"So?"

"When I ask you a question, especially when we're trying to help you not fail, I kind of need you to answer!"

"Ugh. Fiiiiiiiine. What was the question?"

"What's Romanticism?"

"Uh...those teenage girly books that you love to read so much, the ones you get in the romance novel section of the library?"

"Nope!" And then Spencer, who was sitting next to Sam holding Carly's squirt bottle, squirted Sam in the face.

Sam gasped and sputtered at the sudden cold wetness that hit her face. He had even managed to get some in her mouth, and that was when Sam realized that it wasn't water in the bottle.

"Vinegar, Spencer? REALLY? If I didn't have a little crush on you, you'd be so dead right now?"

Spencer laughed. "Not what you were expecting, is it-wait, what was that?"

"Nothing!"

"ANYWAY," Carly said, clearly amused by the sight of vinegar dripping down her best friend's face, "Let's try this one more time. What's Formalist mean?"

Sam was quick to respond this time. "Formalist means that you're looking at a story or a piece of a story and you're only focusing on that itself, you're not comparing the lead character person to your crazy aunt or anything, just analyzing the text in and of itself."

"Good girl!" Carly reached on the stool behind the dry erase board and grabbed a strip of bacon from the massive pile that she had prepared while Sam was passed out asleep, knowing that Sam would need some incentive for paying attention.

Sam hungrily munched on the fried pork meat, and then something hit her. "Wait, for every right answer, I get a piece of bacon?"

Carly nodded. "And for every wrong answer, Spencer will spray you in the face with vinegar. And if you get 10 questions in a row correct, Freddie here gives you a fatcake." It was then that Carly knew that she had Sam's complete and utter attention. Sam automatically sat up straight in the couch, her mind fully focused on what Carly was teaching her.

In the next three hours, Sam would swear she learned more than she had in the whole school year. Carly and Spencer agreed that Sam had deserved a decent lunch, so the two siblings went to make a run to B.F. Wang's, promising to be back soon.

They made Freddie stay behind.

Carly made Freddie promise not to leave partially because even though there was a promise of delicious food for Sam, there was still a possibility that Sam would try to bail in order to get out of future knowledge.

But mostly it was because there was still a thick tension in the air surrounding Sam and Freddie from the latter's earlier outburst, and Carly wanted that resolved.

Little did the two know, Carly had downloaded a special app on her Pearphone that connected the video camera that her and Sam had set up when Freddie had his date with Valerie that they had never taken down to her phone. As soon as she slid into the passenger's seat of Spencer's car-he had wrecked the motorcycle Carly bought him with her Tekfoot money about six months ago-she pulled up the app (YouSpy) and watched the situation that was unfurling in her own living room between her two best friends in the world.

"So. Start talking. What the hell was all of that about in my apartment the other day?"

Sam gulped. Freddie's voice was a dead monotone, which was highly unusual for him. Sure, she had seen him irritated, and she had seen him completely furious, but this, this was so much worse. Not only did his voice have absolutely no inflection in it, but he just sat there in the red swivel stool, arms crossed, just...looking at her.

"I, uh..." _Where to begin?_ thought Sam. And then she made a conscious decision to tear down the walls inside of her, and let the chips fall where they may.

"I love you, Freddie. And it's more than that. I'm IN love with you. But next year,when we graduate, you're going to go off to some prestigious school for smart people and do great things with your life and marry some bland but nice chick named Lauren or something and have two bland but nice kids and just be smart and successful and me, I'm never going to have that. You know me, college really isn't my schtick. I'm just going to wind up staying here in Seattle, and I don't want to chain you here and not have you go fulfill the life you're meant for. If I ask you to stay with me I know you'll do it just because I want you to, and maybe for now you want it too, but you're going to wind up hating me for holding you back. But I want it, Freddie, I want it all. I want to be the one you come home to when we're thirty and old and have two kids. I want to be the mother of your kids, and I know that one day I can easily see myself married to you and I want it, Freddie."

Sam, finished with her speech, just sat back down on the couch and watched Freddie's unreadable expression.

"You know what, Sam? I understand where you're coming from. I get it. Really, I do. But do you want to know what I heard the most from that?" Sam nodded. "You said 'I' a lot. even though the focus of your little shpiel was me, all I heard you say was what _you_ knew and what _you_ want. What about what _I_ want? Maybe I don't _want_ a bland but nice wife named Lauren or something. Maybe I don't _want_ two nice but bland kids. Did that ever occur to you, what I want in my life? No. It didn't. You're selfish. I love you Sam, more than you'll ever know, but you have to start taking my feelings into consideration in these kinds of things."

Sam winced at the harsh tones in Freddie's voice. He was right, they both knew it. "But Freddie, after graduation, do you really _want_ to be anchored here by me? We both know that I'm not going to do great things with my life."

Then it was Freddie's turn to wince. Sam's fighting voice had returned, and there was an edge of malice to her words.

"WHY THE HELL DOES EVERYONE THINK THEY KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR ME?" Freddie roared. Sam fliched and shrunk back from the fury in Freddie's voice. "You, my mom, Carly, Spencer, the counselor, even Gibby! What I want to do with my life is what I want to do with my life, and I don't need anyone else's input or advice anymore! I'm sick of it, to be honest! And when you were planning out my future and breaking up with me before we even had the chance to _become_ a 'we', Oh Great Miss Puckett, I think you forgot something!"

"Oh yeah, Benson? And what's that?" Sam spat out.

Freddie crossed the room in three steps and yanked her up off of the couch and into his arms. One of his hands wrapped itself around her waist and the other plunged into the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her face up to his. He kissed her, hard.

Their lips mashed together with a violent kind of passion, all of their anger pouring itself into the kiss.

Carly, who was watching the whole interaction with her face pressed so close to the screen that her nose was touching it, let out a fangirl scream that terrified Spencer and almost caused him to collide with the blue Kia Spectra in the next lane.

Sam's arms went to go wrap around Freddie's neck but before they could, Freddie pulled away from the kiss with a sound like a plunger being pulled out of a toilet.

"What the hell are we supposed to do about _that_, Puckett?"

"I, uh..."

"Exactly. Call me whenever the hell you get your head straightened out and you decide what you want from me. Until then, just...don't talk to me. It'll hurt too much." Freddie started to walk towards the door.

Sam jumped over the edge of the couch and grabbed on to his arms, attempting to get him to stay. She launched herself in his path and tried to kiss him again but he saw through her act and moved his mouth out of her reach, pushing her back without hurting her physically.

"Freddie, what about my tutoring? I need you here to get me all caught up in Calculus and Physics."

Freddie didn't even look her way. "Get Carly too. She knows as much about it as I do."

**There you go, guys! I promise, I will get to their dreams, but I just can't right now. And now, some serious talk. I KNOW a lot of people have read this. And to the eight or so people that regularly review, thank you VERY much: LyshaLuvsSeddie, Celestial Rosie, DannySamLover20, Arocksprpl2, MayRaah, mintydinosaur, KiyokoSeddie, xXxStompingOnRosesxXx, Miss Seddie. To the people that have only reviewed once or twice, I thank you guys too. But to the 4,380+ people who read this and DON'T review, why? If you hate it, tell me. If not, tell me. The fact that I ask you guys to review and let me know what you think and how you feel about think and you just DON'T makes me really sad, like you don't even care. So please, can you review? It means a lot to me. I'm serious this time, about not updating until I get a significany amount of reviews. If only eight or so people care enough to do what I ask, then I thank them to the bottom of my heart. But to the rest of you...**

**Please review!**

**If not, Carly's grandpa will make you move to Yakima with him. **

**-Amy**


	10. Surprise Videochat Time

**So I have no idea how I was in the dark for so long but I looked up Nathan Kress on Youtube and I was watching some interview he did with the ladies on ClevverTV, talking about how much he benches (swoon!) and then a link on the side of the page showed a music video to some song by Moi called Superman and his face was on the little promotional picture and at first I thought it was another fanmade video and that was just the song they set it to, but no. It's a legit music video that just so happens to star Nathan Kress. It's actually a really good song, I suggest you all go watch it. But anyway, back to my original point: The girl in the video that plays Nathan's love interest I gave no mind to until I saw the side videos again, and Nathan was holding this chick's hand, and I was all like "Oh no!" So her name is Madisen Hill, and apparently they are dating. Which makes me sad. But ANYWAY, all the way back to my original point, I looked up Madisen Hill on Youtube and apparently she's a singer because she has this music video called "Suga". EVERYBODY GO WATCH IT. It's seriously like the worst song, almost as bad as Friday by Rebecca Black or My Jeans by Jenna Rose. I was laughing the entire time I watched it, just wondering why Nathan would want to date a girl who sings that badly. Well, no, that's kind of mean. She's actually not a bad singer, but she's also not a good one. **

**To MissSeddie, DannySamLover20, Geekquality, Quinno96, KiyokoMcCurdy, bonsers, Mary Rachel, MayRaah, Channylover08, bleh13 : Thank you all sooooooooo much! :D**

**To : I know Freddie overreacted. I just think, in my opinion, that with Sam torturing Freddie for all those years, something inside of him would just snap because of Sam's indecisiveness and constant changing of her mind. And in retrospect, I realize that comparing the sound you make when you pull apart from a kiss to a plunger and a toilet is not the smartest thing to do, but I couldn't help it. Oops :O Your review made me giggle lol.**

**To Readuntilyoudie: You know it! I want to hear them confess their love for one another, plus I want to know what got the two of them in jail.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: Yes, the pain really came from nowhere. At first the doctor said it was tendonitis, but when the pain medicine didn't work she switched the diagnosis to carpal tunnel and now with the new pain meds my wrist feels sooooo much better. I still have to wear the brace when I sleep and in school, but other than that it can come off. Oh goodness, I feel so bad for your mom! My oldest little sister has bronchitis and her coughs sound like an 80-year-old man with emphysema. As always, your reviews make me smile.**

**To Arocksprpl2: Your comparison of my chapter to a firework? Awesome. Plus, those little pew pew pew noises made me giggle, so thank you!**

Sam glanced at Carly's apartment door, feeling kind of broken inside.

She knew she had royally screwed up, there was no doubt about that.

She also knew that she had to be the one to make the first move, she had to be the one to fix everything.

"Sam, we're back!" Carly called as her and Spencer walked into the apartment, Carly carrying a large bag of takeout. Even though the smells wafting from the bag of Chinese food were delicious, Sam was sitting at the computer and didn't move or even acknowledge the Shays' presence in their own home. "Watcha looking at, Blondie?"

Carly set the food down on the red table and stood behind Sam. "Sam? Earth to Sam!"

Sam quickly shut down the internet page she had been looking at and wiped the computer history so that Carly had no chance of finding out what websites Sam had visited. If Carly knew what she had planned, there's no way she'd be able to keep it a secret from Freddie, and keeping this a secret from Freddie until just the right moment was crucial to Sam's plan.

"Nothin'. Just doing some stuff."

Spencer and Carly exchanged a knowing look. Neither of them had managed to see what exactly Sam had been looking at, but Carly had told Spencer about the fight between Sam and Freddie and they both knew that Sam would have to be the one to repair her and Freddie's fractured relationship. It wouldn't be easy for her to swallow her pride and do what she needed to do, but they both knew that she would do it.

"Well anyway, we picked up your favorite pork fried rice and egg rolls and lo mein."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Sam proceeded to slide off the stool and run for the large styrofoam takeout container on the table and dig into it ravenously.

The Shay siblings laughed, watching Sam look like she had achieved nirvana when she dipped the end of her egg roll in some wasabi sauce and drop the entire thing in her mouth. They both picked up their respective dishes and eat, though not quite as voraciously as the blonde.

"So, is there any way that we can take a break until tomorrow, after school? Momma's head is going to explode if you guys cram any more knowledge-type stuff in there."

Carly looked suspiciously at her best friend. "Sam, what were you looking at on my computer that you don't want me or Spencer to see?"

Sam sighed, agitated. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"NONE OF YOUR FRACKING BUSINESS!"

"Okay, okay. No need to be so touchy. If you don't want me to know, then fine. You'll tell me eventually. And sure, we can hold off for today. Are you crashing here?"

"Duh, Shay." Sam smiled at Carly and her brother, relieved that she had dropped the manner of what Sam was doing on their computer.

After they finished their food, Carly and Sam went up to the studio to rehearse for iCarly. Neither of them expected Freddie to show, and were unsurprised when he failed to make an appearance.

"Uh, Carls? How are we going to do the show without the dork?"

"I guess Brad can operate the camera, since he knows how." Carly wasn't comfortable doing the show the next day without Freddie, but she knew that the chances of Sam and Freddie making up before then were minimal. Brad was more than competent to handle Freddie's equipment, but they all knew that it wouldn't be the same. (**A/N: Did I forget to mention that in this, iOMG never happened? Like, Brad is still their intern, but the whole MoodFace thing never happened, Sam never kissed Freddie, and nobody ever suspected that Sam liked Brad. Just thought I'd clear that up.)**

Rehearsal went normally, well as normal as a typical iCarly could be considered.

Brad and Gibby left after having a few fruit kabobs after rehearsal, discussing an idea for another Messing with Lewbert prank in which Gibby would dress up as a lady and ask Lewbert on a date while Brad secretly recorded it.

Sam and Carly retired to her room, Carly claiming dibs on the shower. Sam's first thought was to argue, because Carly had a tendency to take extremely long showers and Sam wanted to get to sleep soon. But she knew that it wasn't worth arguing, because it _was_ Carly's shower, no matter how often Sam was there.

Carly got in the shower and as soon as Sam heard the water running, she walked over to Carly's mirror/webcam, knowing that Carly would be in there for at least half an hour and Sam wanted someone to talk to while she waited. As soon as she logged on (of course she knew Carly's password, her and Carly knew each other's passwords to everything), she scrolled down Carly's online friends list, looking for someone to chat with.

Wendy- no. Sam liked Wendy fine, but her penchance for gossip got old after about five minutes. While Wendy and Carly could talk for hours, Sam's Wendy toleration limit was about 5 minutes.

Rip-off Rodney- Why was he even on Carly's contact list?

Rebecca Berkowitz- No, she was still mad ad Sam for when Sam got in trouble for egging Briggs' car and Sam told everyone she was Rebecca Berkowitz. Rebecca was in detention for two weeks until Principal Franklin got wind of what had happened.

Germy- Absolutely not. The last time Sam had videochatted with him, he had sneezed so much that he left snot on his webcam. Sam almost puked.

Brad- A possibility, but his slight nerdiness reminded her of Freddie and that hurt too much right now.

Gibby- A definite possibility. Although Gibby annoyed her, his general Gibbeh-ness cheered her up when she was down.

Freddie- She wanted to badly to click on his name, to see his face and talk to him. He'd probably accept the videochat because Sam was logged onto Carly's account, but as soon as he saw her face he'd log off.

As she was internally debating whether or not to talk to Gibby or risk rejection from Freddie, a videochat request popped up in the middle of the screen.

**BensonMaster has requested a video chat with you.**

Sam got unbelievably excited, even though she knew that the one Freddie really wanted to talk to was Carly.

Deciding to throw him off the track for a few seconds, Sam ran to Carly's closet and grabbed the shoebox on the top shelf that had the wigs from the webisode of iCarly where they wedgie-bounced Jonah, wigs that they had actually never used since that skit never aired but they had never thrown away. Sam quickly slung the dark brown wig over her own wild blonde curls, tucking every last strand of blonde underneath the wig net.

Sam ran and slidback into the chair, clicking the accept button.

"Hi, Freddie."

Freddie took less than a second to register that the girl in front of the camera wasn't Carly. The dark brown, shiny hair was the same, and the shirt on the girl was Carly's, but her skin had too much of a golden undertone to be Carly. Carly's skin was pale and had the tiniest bit of pink underneath.

Freddie squinted the slightest bit and leaned in closer to the screen. The girl was leaning back in the chair, something Carly also never did, Carly and her perfect posture. But while the girl had terrible posture, those eyes were impossible to confuse with Carly's dark brown orbs.

Blue eyes, the color of the world's most precious sapphire, peeked out from underneath synthetic strands of brown hair.

"Sam."

He winced as Sam's name escaped his lips. He knew he had overreacted earlier, and he knew he was wrong to skip iCarly rehearsal, but he was sick to death of everyone deciding what he should do with his life and who he should spend it with. He loved Sam and Sam loved him, why was she making this so difficult? He wasn't stupid, he knew that a relationship with Sam would take work. But he wanted to try, because he wanted _her_.

"Freddie, let me explain. I never meant to offend you or try to dictate your life. I just want you to be happy, whether it's with or without me." Sam was relieved that he hadn't immediately logged off as soon as he realized she wasn't Carly. She was, however, surprised at how quickly he realized that she wasn't Carly. "I just, I just-"

"Sam. Take the wig off, I don't like it."

She was disappointed that he hadn't said anything about her apology. "What?"

"You don't look like you. You look like Carly. Take the goddamn wig off."

Freddie, cussing. It was hot.

Sam snatched off the wig and tossed it onto Carly's bed. "I apologize to you and that's all you have to say?"

Freddie sighed, happy that Sam looked like Sam again. "I appreciate the fact that you apologized. But a simple 'I'm sorry' isn't going to fix everything here."

"I know, Benson. I have a plan," Sam smirked, and then logged off. She knew that her comment would keep Freddie up all night, and that thought made her happy. Plus, she heard Carly get out of the shower and knew that her time to get in would be soon.

Carly walked out of the bathroom, hair damp and wrapped in one of the super-soft towels that Sam loved.

"Hey. You find a way to entertain yourself while I cleaned?"

"Yup."

Carly rummaged through her dresser and pulled on some nightclothes. Sam and Carly had gotten over their awkwardness over being naked around each other years ago. They had been best friends for years, and in between sharing clothes and showering after one another and swimming, it was just inevitable. It was just a best friend thing. Guys always joked that it was a lesbian thing, but honestly, it wasn't a big deal.

They had all seen Gibby shirtless, of course. Freddie too, because the Bushwell had a pool on the roof that was the group's favorite place to be from May until late September. Brad had joined them too, so they were all comfortable being around each other partially naked.

There had only ever been two awkward situations.

The first had been about a month previously, when Carly had been forcing Sam into a clean shirt for that night's iCarly. Sam had finally given in and caught the shirt Carly tossed her. She pulled off the shirt she had been wearing for the past two days and just as she was walking across the room, still shirtless except for her bra, Freddie and Gibby had walked in.

"Oh my god!" Freddie and Gibby, nubby gentleman as they were, only gawked for a minute before abrubtly spinning around with their backs to Sam and their hands over their eyes to give her some privacy.

"Chill out, ladies. You've all seen me in a bathing suit, I'm not naked, it's nothing you haven't seen before." Gibby laughed at Sam's statement, but Freddie just blushed.

"Yeah, but this is your _bra_." Freddie stuttered.

Sam laughed at his naivety and decided to play with their minds (and possibly other body parts). "Okay, princesses, I'm properly clothed."

Freddie and Gibby removed their hands from their eyes and turned around, expecting to see Sam dressed.

She wasn't. Carly, Sam and Gibby all fell to the ground laughing at Freddie's reaction, which was to gape at her, jaw dropped, for just a few seconds before crossing the room in three angry footsteps and tossing the shirt that Carly had put on the bed for Sam at her head.

The second incident had been two weeks ago when Sam and Gibby had broken into Freddie's apartment, meaning to surprise him with a vicious silly-string attack since they knew his mother wasn't home.

What they hadn't counted on was that Freddie had taken advantage of his mother's absence and slept in well past when he was normally awake on a Saturday and was then walking around his kitchen eating cereal in nothing but his underwear.

His boxers.

His surprisingly non-nerdy boxers, which happened to be navy blue with white pinstripes.

It was Sam's turn to gawk this time. Gibby didn't have a problem with it, as Freddie and Gibby had the same sort of bestfriendship as Sam and Carly. But Sam had never seen Freddie like that, and was suriously silent.

Freddie kept his cool and leaned back against the cool marble of the countertop, smirking at Sam's shocked expression. "Chill out, lady. You've seen me in a bathing suit, I'm not naked, it's nothing you haven't seen before."

Sam quickly recovered her cool at Freddie's repetition of her words from a few weeks previous, when the situation had been reversed. Gibby grabbed the bowl of nearly finished cereal from Freddie's confused hands, set it safely on top of the refrigerator, and proceeded to attack Freddie with silly string. Sam joined in, and soon Freddie was covered head-to-toe in hot pink string, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.

**Okay, guys. I have been a bit mean and rather selfish. It's not fair of me to hold out on you for not reviewing. I realize that not everybody can review, and it still makes me happy to see my viewer stats up to almost 6,000. So I won't pressure you for reviews any longer. Granted, I still love hearing what you have to say to me about the story, but now I won't be witholding chapters. I apologize.**

**I am a cruel, cruel person who spends the majority of her time either doing obscene amounts of homework or having to stay after school because my school guidance counselor is a sadist that put me in AP Calculus, even though I am mathtarded and I have to meet with my terrible Calc teacher almost every day to review the material so I won't fail. I will try to update as often as possible, now that I have abandoned trying to force reviews out of everyone. And once Theater rehearsals start back up in a week or two, I will have even less time. I have one more confession to make: I have become hooked on Tom/Hermione fanfics. I saw a story posted once and the pairing intrigued me because I had never considered it before, but now I'm just in love with the concept. But when I picture Tom Riddle I don't picture Tom Riddle from the 6th movie, I picture the guy that played Tom Riddle in the 2nd movie, because that guy was just unbelievably hot. **

**I apologize deeply for my absence and unfair behavior, and wish upon you all the entertainment of many Gibbies as a compensation.**

**Also, who saw the newest iCarly, iLove You? I got sooooooo mad at Dan Schneider and all the other writers when they played us and made me believe that Sam and Freddie were breaking up. I was almost crying, no joke. But then they said that they loved each other and started kissing and I realized that Seddie will live on! **

**What do you think Sam was looking at? The person closest to my guess gets a special mention in the next chapter as a guest on the next iCarly (In this, not in the actual show. Sorry, I don't have that kind of power.)**

**-Amy**


	11. Secret Agent Freddie

**To Geekquality, Arocksprpl2, DannySamLover20, The-Coalition-Of-Nerds: Thank you guys so much! I tried to keep this chapter a little more lighthearted and funny, since the last few chapters have been kinda serious. Your reviews make me smile :D - like that.**

**To MissB. Graceful: Your review made me laugh. I also think that there must be some supercool side to Madisen, because I just can't see why he would date her without that. Thank you for your kind words on my chapter, they were much appreciated! And as for iLove You, I don't think that they're breaking up, even though Dan and all them gave us mixed signals. I think that they used the 'Let's break up again at midnight' thing as away to break the tension, because they truly do love each other. Plus, remember that preview for the episode (hopefully coming up soon) where Sam and Freddie are in jail? It gives me hope that we will still have Seddie for at least the next few episodes.**

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: Right though? Like, me and my best friend Sierra have the same kind of friendship going for us that I described Carly and Sam as having, where we can basically strip down to nothing around each other and be okay with it because we both know that we have the same body parts and we've just been best friends for so long. I've also seen my best guy friend completely naked. That scene where Sam and Gibby sneak up on Freddie? Actually happened to me, except it was me and my friend Kara and her boyfriend Alex and we snuck into Ryan's room to spray him with silly string but we didn't know he had just gotten out of the shower... o.O**

**To KiyokoMcCurdy: I KNOW that I'm slow on the Nathan Kress information. I'm so ashamed :( Thanks for the kindness about the chapter! It makes me happy.**

**To Celestial Rosie: Oh no, that sounds terrible! Tell my littlest fan (I just love saying that!) that I hope she's not in a lot of pain, and that she makes a speedy recovery. Oh, and that you for saying that my chapters rule :)**

**To MayRaah: First? Thank you for the review and the chapter love. Second, that is just so messed up. I don't like the fact that Nathan is with Madisen either, but I have a rule that I don't mock people's girlfriends/boyfriends to their faces, and more people should do that. Thirdly, although nothing would bring me greater joy, Nathan is never going to date Jennette, they are like brother and sister. So if Madisen is who makes Nathan happy, then people need to leave them alone and let them be happy.**

The next day passed slowly. The only thing that made that day stand out from every other day was that Freddie avoided her like the plague. Sam was surprised at how thoroughly he was able to do so, because they had nearly every class together and sat beside each other in almost every one.

Sam tried several times to reach out to him, thinking that after their conversation last night that he would be more open to her.

But after the first few rebuffs she remembered what she had said, about that apology not being enough.

It was third period that she finally gave up and stopped trying to talk to Freddie. Sam became merely content to sit there next to him, a copy of his trademark smirk on her face and her thoughts filled with her plan for that night's iCarly. Even Carly didn't know what she was planning to do yet, and Carly usually found out everything Sam did or was planning on doing.

If Freddie was being honest with himself, he had forgiven Sam fully the night before. But he had also meant what he said, about the apology not being enough. He knew how much it hurt Sam's pride to admit her feelings and say she was wrong, but if he just accepted her back into his life then he had no guarantee that she wouldn't just do the same thing again the next time she got insecure.

School was over none too soon for the blonde and the male brunette, and they both went their separate ways without acknoledging the others' existence immediately after the final bell.

Freddie remembered what Puckett had said about having a plan just as soon as she had left his sight. He made an impulsive decision to follow her, even though he knew that he was risking possible death and dismemberment if he got caught by the blonde-headed demon. He whipped out his phone from his pocket and called the one person heknew would help him in tracking down Sam without being busted.

"Hey, Spence. Where are you at?"

"The school, with Carly. Apparently Principal Franklin needs to talk to me and Carly about something."

"So you drove here?"

"Well, I don't remember walking..."

"Did you bring your bike, or did you get a ride?"

"The bike, why?"

"See, here's the thing..." Freddie proceeded to explain his plan to Spencer, and why he needed to use Spencer's treasured motorcycle. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Benson, Carly and Sam, Spencer had been teaching Freddie how to ride his motorcycle, knowing that Mrs. Benson would never allow Freddie to buy a car. Freddie had actually been learning quite well, and Spencer was extremely proud of him for having the ability to learn such a complex thing to do so quickly. Spencer had even taken the sixteen-year-old down to the DMV to get his motorcycle license the week before.

Spencer agreed to give Freddie permission to use his motorcycle for Sam-tracking purposes, as long as Freddie got it back to him in one piece. Freddie ran to Principal Franklin's office to grab the keys from Spencer, and was soon tearing out of the parking lot on Spencer's Harley.

SInce he had lost valuable time getting the bike from Spencer, he had lost Sam's trail.

But if there was one thing that he knew above all else, it was that Sam's hunger was an insatiable beast and would need to be placated before any scheming on her part was to be done. So Freddie made his way over to the general vicinity of the Groovy Smoothie, making sure to park in the lot of the convenience store across the street so that there was no chance Sam could see him.

Not that it even mattered. If Sam saw him, she wouldn't ever believe that it was Freddie riding a motorcycle, one of the myriad things his mother had expressly forbidden.

Freddie was reminded once again that he had nothing to worry about, because Sam had no idea that Spencer had been instructing Freddie on how to drive the dangerous piece of machinery.

Freddie's guess was confirmed when he saw Sam walk into the Groovy Smoothie with an older man that he didn't recognize, a man that he assumed to be one of Sam's relatives because they both shared the same dirty blond curls and the inexplicable aura of someone who you knew could kick your ass in a heartbeat without putting their full effort into it.

Not daring enough to go inside, although he had every excuse to because the Grrovy Smoothie was the trio's traditional after school hangout spot (besides Carly's apartment), he sat on Spencer's bike across the street and waited for Sam to leave.

It was about half an hour before Sam and the mystery dude made their way out of the Grrovy Smoothie. Freddie, who had been inspecting more terrible pirate movies from the convenience store clerk, jumped into action. He walked quickly out of the store and onto Spencer's motorcycle, making sure to keep at least two cars between himself and the tiny red car Sam and the other man had climbed into. He followed them for twenty-five minutes to the outskirts of Seattle, almost losing them as they made an unexpected turn.

The chase was finally over as the car pulled over next to a house suspiciously close to the suburbs. Thankful that he was wearing Spencer's nondescript motorcycle jacket and sunglasses, he drove past the car and circled around to the next block, far enough away that they couldn't see him but close enough that he could see them. He watched with overwhelming curiosity as Sam and the man got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the pale yellow house, a house that was not flamboyant but also wasn't too drab. A rather short man with a balding head and glasses opened the door and smiled up at Sam.

Pleasantries were obviously shared between the three for a few minutes as they chatted idly. Freddie became even more befuddled when the short man reached behind the front door, grabbed a light jacket, and joined the two Pucketts back in the little red car.

Hopping back on the Harley, Freddie discreetly followed the trio back to Seattle and when it became obvious that they were headed back to Sam's house, he stopped his pursuit and took a shortcut that he knew would get him to Sam's place a good five minutes before them.

Freddie maneuvered the motorcycle into the driveway of a guy that he knew from the A/V Club that lived on the street directly behind Sam. He quickly explained the situation to the guy, whose name was Travis, who complimented him on being brave enough to tail a Puckett and for being so badass while doing it.

As Freddie crossed the street and made his way through Sam's back yard, he thought about what Travis had said about him being a badass. He felt like it at that moment, sneaking onto Sam's property and managing to follow her around without her even noticing.

_I AM a badass, _Freddie thought, the smirk that was so familiar to him creeping up on his face. _Like a secret agent, like James Bond. Secret Agent Freddie._

Freddie quickly scaled the tree that he knew led to Sam's bedroom window, having weird flashbacks to when Sam and Carly made him sit through those terrible Twilight movies in his preparation for that bad vampire movie bit. How he was climbing up the tree with apparent ease, he felt like that Jacob dude.

Little did he know, as he was climbing up the tree, Sam and her two companions drove up the driveway, and Sam saw him come to a stop just level with her bedroom window, sitting on the branch that was her favorite because it completely extended from her bedroom window to the strong trunk of the maple tree. It was also totally hidden by the dense maple leaves, and if Sam had not seen Freddie climb up she would have not known he was there. That was his plan, she guessed.

And who was she to interrupt with the nub's plan, especially when it made the outcome of her own plan so much more enthralling?

Not wanting to let him in on the fact that she was on to him, Sam made sure he heard the car doors open and shut. She guided the taller man, her uncle Carmine, and the shorter man into her house, having them sit down in the unnaturally tidy living room and getting them iced tea before excusing herself to what she said was the bathroom.

In reality, Sam sneakily crept up the stairs and into her room, making sure that she made absolutely no noise opening and closing the door since she knew that she had left her window open that morning and any sound she would have made would have carried out to Freddie. Sam slid off her sqeaky sneakers that would have been a dead giveaway on her hardwood floor and tiptoed over to the windoe in just her socks.

_Huh. Maybe I do have a future as an invisible ninja one day._

Sam peeked with one eye out of the corner of her drapes at Freddie, who was reclining casually against the tree with his eyes closed, quite blatantly enjoying the days' cool breeze that gently pushed his hair back across his forehead.

Knowing that if she went out there, he would know that she knew that he was there, Sam made the split-second decision that she didn't care if he knew anymore. Nubface just leaning against her tree, eyes all closed and lips slightly puckered like they did when he was sleeping, that was just way too much for Sam to resist. So she climbed onto the sturdy branch as quietly as she could, secretly hoping to scare the chiz out of Freddie in the meantime.

It worked.

As soon as the bench swayed slightly under Sam's added weight, Freddie's eyes snapped open.

"Busted." Sam smirked.

Freddie just opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, reminding Sam of a fish. She giggled and then slapped a hand over her mouth.

Sam Puckett never giggled.

EVER.

With the sole exceptions of intentional giggling on iCarly.

Now it was Freddie's turn to smirk, laughing gently at Sam's shocked expression and pulling her close to him. Not the easiest thing to do, as they were after all in a tree.

"Did you just giggle, Sam Puckett?"

"Uh, no. That was the wind."

"The wind isn't strong enough to do that, Sam. Not today."

"It was..."

"It was you, Sammie."

Sam slapped Freddie on the side of his head.

"Shut up, dork."

"You like it."

"No, I came out here to find out why you're in my tree, you creeper."

Their faces were less than an inch apart. "That's for me to know and you to find out, Sammie."

The distance between their lips closed. This was not a passionate, tension-releasing kiss or a kiss pf desperation. This kiss was sweet and gentle, simple.

Sam pulled away from Freddie and climbed back into her window, laughing at the disappointed expression on the boy's face. "Nuh uh, Benson. No Sam sugar for you. You are the one who told me that I had to make everything better and unless you've forgotten, I do have a plan. Now get home. How did you even get here, anyway?"

"That's for me to know and you to NEVER find out."

Now it was Sam who looked disappointed, as Freddie cooly maneuvered out of her tree and through her backyard.

**Chapter 11! Again, sorry for the delay. School had been UBER crazy, and I just started filling out college applications, which just opened up another can of hate and stress on me. **

**Anyone that correctly guesses what Sam's plan is gets a super special part in the next chapter, which will be when Sam's plan is revealed. **

**Please review? It means the world to me. **

**-Amy**


	12. Hopefully My Only AN Chapter, EVER

**To Arocksprpl2, DannySamLover20, hpfreak1213, : You guys are amazing! Te quiero! And specifically to Arocksprpl2-No problem, I love giving a shoutout to the excellent folks who review my story. :) 3**

**To Hi my name is Mia: That's amazing, I always love seeing another fellow Rocky Horror fan! Who is your favorite character? Mine is Columbia. :)**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie and KiyokoMcCurdy: If they ever made Freddie actually a motorcyclist (yes, you said it right Lysha) I think I would burst into flames at the sheer awesomeness of it. But I wouldn't be the only one. If Mrs. Benson found out that her son had mastered the use of an extremely dangerous machine, there's no telling what might happen!**

**To MissB. Graceful: Wait wait wait what? How did I miss that? I remember watching it...but I don't remember seeing that! Crap, it must have been when my mom came in to ask me to cycle the laundry. Now I'm super depressed, and I need to watch iLove You now. But Seddie can't be over, they finally admitted that they love each other! If they really are done, I just might sue. :'(**

**To xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: You're welcome! I know that they weren't together together in the last chapter, but they will be in the one to come... :)**

**Guys, I am totally depressed right now. Like, fo sho. After iLove You last week, I thought that Sam and Freddie were kidding about breaking up again at midnight. It seems like they weren't, since there was NO Seddie last episode. I can't even write anymore. I had about half of Chapter 12 written before I saw it, and I still have it, but until I get over the fact that Dan Schneider cruelly took away Seddie from us, I have no idea how I'm going to keep writing.**

**I'm sorry, I know it sucks. **

**Reviews would help too. No, I'm not purposefully witholding Chapter 12 just to get more reviews. I promise I wouldn't do that anymore, and I'm not. The amount of people who have read iCan't Hide This Anymore is over 7,000 and that astounds me. Truly, it does. But again, we're back to me only getting like 8 people who review, and that makes me sad. Like really, do all my requests for reviews fall on deaf ears? But anyway...**

**One more thing-I have no idea what a beta is. I know, I know. But if someone could please explain it to me, that would be amazing. Plus, I think I kind of need one since I never go back to edit my chapters. It is physically impossible for me to go back and edit anything that I've ever written. My English teachers hate it, because I never proofread and I never write a rough draft of anything. EVER. So if you want to be my beta, explain to me what it is and then offer to do it. If I have more than one person offer, I will PM you both and if I can make more than one person my beta, I will. If not...idk, there might just have to be some sort of deciding factor that I'm unsure of as of right now.**

**This is hopefully the only A/N chapter I will ever do.**

**Please, please, PLEASE (!) review. If you flame me, fine. But I would really love to know what you're thinking, even if it's just a simple "Nice, keep going! :)"**

**-Amy aka RorschachBrain74**


	13. You Know Me So Well, Don't You?

**Everyone, my responses to your reviews will now be at the bottom because I feel like some people just want me to get on with the story already :)**

**I had not originally planned on writing this just yet because I have not worked out what will happen in my mind and I usually do, but for some odd reason my internet is down even though I have four out of five bars. So until my internet decides to be nice again and allow me to returnto this most excellent Harry/Hermione fic called Vox Corporis (I highly suggest going and reading it, it is truly wonderful. I no joke spent a little over three hours reading it on a school night last night, and I'm nowhere near close to being finished.), I will write to my heart's content.**

"Me llamo Carly!" said the sassy brunette with a smile to the camera, starting off that night's show.

"And me llama Sam!"

"Uh, Sam?"

"Why yes, Carls?"

"You don't actually pronounce the double-l in 'llamo'..."

"It looks like it should be pronounced like that though."

"Yeah, but it's not."

"Then why does the Spanish language taunt me so?" Sam fell to her knees in fake agony, pulling at the hair that she cherished so much.

Freddie, Carly, Gibby and Brad all laughed at Sam and Carly's opening bit, and they proceeded with the show.

"Tonight on iCarly, we have a special treat for you guys," Brad said with a huge smile, looking like a little kid in a candy store and barely containing his excitement. "But first, for a little backstory."

Gibby stepped in. "You see, Sam and Freddie have stopped being so thickheaded and have finally realized that they like each other. So they were together for all of ONE DAY when Sam did something stupid-we won't go into many details, because that's truly their business, get over it-and they broke up before they ever really had a chance to get together. But Sam here realized that in order to get back with her maaaaaaaaaaaaan, she needed to do something drastic, something that would knock his socks off."

Gibby took a step back, and they all watched as Carly and Brad headed towards Freddie. Brad took the camera away from Freddie's confused hands and Carly led him towards a chair inthe middle of the studio. Sam crept up behind the sitting boy and placed one of Carly's pink fluffy sleep masks over his eyes, one of the ones that said 'Princess' in swirly purple writing. Everyone let out a laugh at Freddie's appearance, including Spencer who the gang had permitted to join them that night for the whole webisode, not just a bit.

"Freddie, I know you can't see me, but I want you to know that I really am sorry for everything I said the other day. I may have been feeling insecure but I'm not now, I know what I want. And to make up for the hel-" Sam started, but was loudly cut off by Carly before she accidentally swore on air, "-chiz I've put you through, I got up with my uncle Carmine, who has some connections. I know how much you love Galaxy Wars, so..."

And suddenly, everything clicked in Freddie's mind. The short man that Sam and her uncle had picked up, her uncle's various connections in show business. He leapt up from the chair and ripped off Carly's stupid sleep mask to see Nug-Nug standing before him, in full costume.

It took everything Freddie had not to scream like a fangirl, and do that silly jumping, hand-flapping dance that Carly and Sam did whenever they saw a really hot guy celebrity shirtless on television.

Instead, Freddie went for the slightly more manly approach. He walked across the room and shook Nug-Nug's hand, holding on a little longer than he probably should have, eyes wide with amazement. The small man laughed, and was more than willing to autograph a picture for Freddie and let the four boys in the room be photographed with him.

It was when Spencer, Brad and Gibby were bombarding Nug-Nug that Sam approached Freddie, who was in the process of switching over to the tripod cam so that way they could all be free of the burden of videotaping the show and just interview Nug-Nug.

Sam was patient enough to wait until Freddie got done setting up his techie stuff before bothering to say anything. Even then, she was too afraid that he would reject her to actually speak, so she laid her hand on his upper arm.

At her touch, Freddie's attention was immediately diverted from the iCarly technology schematics and Nug-Nug to Sam, who he had not noticed was standing directly beside him.

He saw the fiery blonde open her mouth to speak, but then close again, and he wondered what she could possibly want to say that she hadn't already expressed to him through her amazing gift.

Not wanting to have this conversation in front of the others, especially during a live iCarly broadcast, Freddie pulled Sam out of the studio. Carly noticed, but made no move to prevent her two friends from leaving; this was something that needed to happen. Plus, she had no idea what would actually go down and she wasn't sure she wanted to be there when it did, if it got graphic.

Freddie silently thanked whatever deity resided above them all for nobody following them out to the hallway. Still holding his deathgrip on Sam's wrist, he took her down the hall and just around the corner where anyone that poked their head out of the studio could not see them.

He knew that Sam wanted to talk more, to apologize for the things she had said in greater detail. Freddie knew she was truly sorry. He wanted to talk too, to get everything out in the open and make sure everything was rock solid between the two of them before embarking on what would wind up being a long, treacherous journey called a relationship with Samantha Puckett.

But first...

Freddie gently but also assertively pressed Sam up against the wall, and brought his determined face very close to her shocked one. He let them stay that way for a second, relishing the anticipation. Just when he was about to crack, Sam hungrily leaned in and claimed his mouth with her own.

They stayed that way for several minutes, mouths colliding passionately but calmly enough that both of them understood the words that were passing silently between them.

Sam and Freddie were pressed against the wall as tightly as they could be without inflicting pain on one another. His neck aching slightly from leaning down for so long, Freddie raised Sam up against the wall so that they were at eye level with each other, never breaking the kiss.

Sam's legs managed to wrap themselves around Freddie's lower abdomen without conscious effort on her part; not in a sexual, let's-get-it-on way but a more simple, I-want-to-be-closer kind of way.

The kiss broke off simlutaneously on both ends, the blonde and the brunette gasping for air.

"I love you, dork," Sam said breathlessly, pushing the hair off of Freddie's forehead that had fallen out of its' usually carefully gelled style.

"I love you too, demon," said Freddie, somewhat more composed than Sam even though the way her legs were wrapped around him made it a little difficult for him to focus on much else. What? He WAS a teenage boy, after all.

And with that, their lips met once more.

oOo

Carly knew what they were up to as soon as the couple left the , none of the others had realized their absense or else Sam and Freddie would never get the alone time that they so desperately needed.

While the boys still interrogated Nug-Nug, Carly stealthily snuck out of the studio to check on her two best friends, to intervene if something went wrong.

She let out a sigh of relief that she did not realize she'd been holding when noboy realized her leaving. Maybe she picked up some of Sam's invisible ninja skills after the many years of friendship between them.

Carly took one step, and then cringed. As quiet as she'd been leaving the iCarly studio, she'd forgotten that she was wearing a pair of boots that thudded quite obviously whenever she took a step.

As quietly as the girl could muster, she slid her sock feet out of the boots and padded down the hallway, careful to press herself up against the wall and walk slowly, lest be detected by Sam and Freddie.

Once Carly made her way to the end of the hallway, she peeked her eyes marginally around the corner, and the sight that greeted her caused her lips to break out into a wide grin.

Her two best friends in the world were pressed up against the hallway wall, kissing. Sam had elevated herself to Freddie's level, and a quick rake downward of Carly's eyes showed that Sam had her legs wrapped very tightly around Freddie's waist.

_Okay, that's something I never needed to see._

But regardless of whose limbs were where, Carly was ecstatic. It was about time those two got over everything holding them back and just decided to be happy.

As for Carly's own happiness...well, if Gibby ever decided to open his eyes and see her for what she was, maybe Carly could have her own love and not just live vicariously through the tech nerd and the blonde-headed demon that she called Freddie and Sam.

Seddie.

**To person who did not sign, just left the word 'person': Thank you for calling my story an epic win, it made me laugh.**

**To Geekquality: I sure as HELL hope so because I want to give Dan Schneider and the other writers dead leg for doing that to us. And thank you so much for being the first person to explain to me what a beta is. **

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: You were the second to tell me what a beta is, but you went into more detail and told me more stuff, so thank you for that too. And I promise I will write again...weird as it sounds, responding to all of your reviews put me in the mood to write again. So I did, and here it is :)**

**To Readuntilyoudie: Thanks. Really, I mean it. Even simple reviews get me motivated to write.**

**To ccQTccQT: I know, I know, I'm sorry. Like I said, I hope that that will be the only A/N chapter I ever have, because I hate deceiving people like that. Someone did that to me and I felt like punching something in the face...hard...with a hammer.**

**To PureBlood Alchemyst: Someone feels my lack-of-Seddie pain? YES. **

**To Arocksprpl2: I think that is the longest review you've ever given me, and it made my heart happy. I too took to creeping around Youtube for Seddieness, but all I found was pictures of Jennette and Nathan set to various songs and I was just like, ugh, not what I'm looking for.**

**So, nobody wants to be my beta? Okay. But I however DO need somebody to do a very special job: yell at me to write. Don't blame me, blame it on my busy school schedule and when I do have spare time and I'm not watching House, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, New Girl, Tosh.O or iCarly, I'm on here reading mass amounts of fanfiction. My newest obsession: Harry/Hermione, which I had never fully considered before but the aforementioned Vox Corporis converted me. But seriously, if someone wants to be assigned the very important duty of yelling at me to write if it's been more than 3 days and I haven't uploaded, either tell me in a review or PM me. Either is fine.**

**Come to the dark side. We have milk, and cookies! The milk is sour and the cookies are stale, but you get this cool black cape! What has the light side ever given you? NOTHING! But to get to the dark side, you need to review.**

**-Amy**


	14. It's Not Unusual To Be Loved By Anyone

Life, for Sam, seemed great.

It had been a little over a month since she had surprised Freddie with Nug-Nug, and they had been dating steadily since then.

Carly joked that she would soon have to start sending out invitations to their wedding, a joke that Sam and Freddie both fervently ignored. Although neither of them would admit it aloud, they both secretly dreamt of what it would be like to live out their lives together.

But they were only fifteen, their sophomore year at Ridgeway wasn't even done yet. It was way too early in their relationship, let alone their lives, to be thinking about marriage and children and things like that.

It hadn't all been smooth sailing, though. Although their relationship had been close to perfect for the first three or so weeks, a few days previously Sam and Freddie had gotten into a huge argument about Freddie's mom, where Sam had admittedly gone one step too far in insulting her:

They had been sitting on Carly's couch watching Girly Cow when Marissa Benson stormed in, demanding that Freddie return home for their Mother/Son synchronized swimming class.

"But Mom, I _hate_ synchronized swimming! I hate the tiny Speedo I have to wear-" Freddie and his mother didn't notice when Sam eyed Freddie's body appreciatively, but Carly did. "-I hate the stupid show tunes they play, and I hate that I'm the only boy there over the age of six!"

Marissa gaped like a fish, astounded at the display of blatant disobedience from her beloved only child. She was obviously expecting Freddie to put up a small fight, because after all he was getting older and a smidge more rebellious.

What she hadn't been expecting was this much of a reaction from her boy.

What she _really_ hadn't been expecting was Sam to subtly grasp Freddie's hands, gently intertwining their fingers in a show of support.

Marissa internally decided that confronting Freddie about Sam holding his hand at that current moment was more likely than not a bad idea. If her baby boy was indeed romantically involved with the wild blonde hellion, calling him out on it directly in front of her would result in raised voices and Freddie already had one foot out the proverbial door. This is why she didn't want to raise his allowance above 8 dollars a month...he actually might buy a bus ticket and leave her behind.

Her decision to not say anything about the Puckett demon holding any appendage of her son was solidified when she saw Carly do the same thing, grab her son's hand. The only difference between the brunette priss and blonde snob was that Shay didn't intertwine her fingers with Freddie's, which made Marissa feel slightly better. Freddie always complained about Sam and the terrible things she did to him, so she knew Freddie wasn't secretly harboring any feelings for her.

But Carly, on the other hand...

It _seemed_ like Freddie had gotten over his slightly obsessive crush on the Shay girl, but Marisse couldn't be sure.

"Fine, Fredward. But you aren't skipping out on Mother/Child pottery class, and that's not negotiable!" Marissa quickly excused herself from the apartment before Freddie could have the opportunity to argue any further with her.

The trio plopped back down on the couch again. Carly detached her hand from Freddie's, and scooted over a little further from him on the couch so that the dating duo could have their privacy.

After about a minute, Carly got up to go obtain snackage for her friends, and while she was walking she remarked on how possessive Mrs. Benson had become lately.

"You're right, Carls. That woman is a boat of crazy. No, scratch that. She's the whole fleet!" Sam cackled.

Carly wished with all her heart that Sam would either stop talking _right then_ or at least turn to her boyfriend and apologize.

She should have known that Sam wouldn't do either, but instead continued to verbally berate Freddie's mother.

In all of Sam's glorious heckling, she didn't notice Freddie's face darken considerably. He went from honestly laughing at the first few jokes, to just chuckling goodnaturedly to Sam's progressively meaner quips, to just outright sitting there with a deepening scowl on his face.

Once Sam started in on his mother's food, that was when Freddie'd had enough.

"Sam, please stop."

Carly was surprised to hear how well Freddie was masking the obvious fury in his voice. Even though his face was set in a deep frown, he still sounded casual. Carly knew that Freddie would never physically hurt Sam, he would have to die first. A bit melodramatic, but still true. They both knew about Sam's crappy home life and refrained themselves on a regular basis from lashing out at her more risky endeavors. Carly often yelled at Sam, but she knew that Freddie never would if he could help it.

Thank goodness Sam finally took a hint. "Baby I'm sorry, but it's true. Your mom is flipping insane!" Carly winced, all hopes of Sam realizing how much she was hurting Freddie out the window.

In a heroic effort on Freddie's part, he stopped himself from screaming himself hoarse at Sam and instead chose to run up the stairs to the iCarly studio.

"Sam...go."

The blonde didn't need to be told twice, and dashed off after the boy she loved.

When she got to the door of the studio, Sam mentally and physically braced herself. She knew she had been stupid, and should have picked up the hints from Freddie earlier. But she had suffered from an unfortunate case of word vomit, and it had just kept coming up.

Through the glass, she could see Freddie's tense form sitting on the comfortable red seats of the prop car, shoulders hunched and hands tangled in his hair in frustration.

Guilt rocked Sam's body like a hurricane.

She gently pushed the door open, thankful when Freddie didn't immediately move to go leave the room. Sam crossed the room, sliding in next to Freddie and placing her hand on his shoulder.

The gradual relaxation of Freddie's various muscles started instantly, even though he was still furious with Sam's over-the-top insults. He allowed Sam to lean him back into a normal sitting position and move his arm around her shoulders.

"Freddie, I'm sorry. It's a hard habit to break, ragging on your mom. But I promise that I'll try my best to lay off her and her antics."

Freddie believed her. She was using the softer, more gentle voice that she reserved solely for being alone with him, lest anyone accuse her of daffodility.

He pulled her sidesaddle-style on to his lap and kissed her softly, assuring her that while he himself was still mad, he had forgiven her.

But beyond that one argument, Sam's life in general had been going swimmingly. Now that she had real motivation to study and graduate on time, she found out that she could do pretty okay in school. Not as smart academically as Carly or Freddie because her laziness still held her back considerably, but smart enough to hold up a high-C average.

Life, for Sam, seemed great.

**So...let me start off by doing just a smidgen of talking about myself, because I am having a little bit of an issue here. People, I am sleepy ALL OF THE TIME. No joke. At first I thought it was just my poor sleeping habits, because I was getting less than 5 hours a night. But then I started going to bed earlier, getting around 9 hours of sleep per night like we're supposed to, but that hasn't helped. It's beginning to get quite irritating. I'm falling asleep in almost all of my classes, which in my senior year is a pretty dangerous move. Does anyone have a legit explanation for me? My mom thinks I have an iron problem, and gave me some iron pills. It's too soon to know if that's it though. **

**Secondly: I am beginning to seriously consider writing another story, in addition to this one. It won't be Seddie, because writing a new Seddie fanfic while I still haven't completed this one is just silly. I'm thinking a Harry Potter one, maybe two? have a great idea for a Tom/Hermione fic and one for a Harry/Hermione fic, but I have a nasty feeling that if I start to write those, then I will forget all about iCan't Hide This Anymore, and I don't want that to happen AT ALL. Let me know if this is something I should pursue, okay?**

**Thirdly: EVERYBODY GO READ THE HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS. I'm not kidding here. I wasn't expecting to like it, I was just adding to the enormous pile I was checking out from my school library to get me through the weekend because I am abnormally fast reader. But I fell in love, and then I found out that they are making a movie out of it, which makes me even happier because I read the book before even knowing about the movie so I cannot technically be classified as a bandwagon fan. Also read The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni.**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: Hmmmm...what were you doing that you had only two minutes? Curious...a mystery! :) And second, a Ron/Hermione fan? Noooooo! I thought you seemed like an okay person! LOL, jk, I love all my reviewers despite their unfortunate shipping preferences.**

**To MissB. Graceful: I have heard from an interview straight from the mouth of Nathan Kress himself that in real life, he is not a nerd, especially not a Freddie-type nerd. He is a Lord of the Rings type nerd, which is awesome because I love me some Lord of the Rings. But really, if you were confronted face-to-face with your favorite character from your favorite movie, what would you do? Mine is Daniel Radcliffe and let me tell you...I would do some illegal things to, with and on that man. TRULY illegal. Well, everything I would do to him is illegal because I'm only 17.**

**To Geekquality, DannySamLover20, hpfreak1213, KiyokoMcCurdy: Thank you sooooo much! :)**

**To Arocksprpl2: Do not EVER think that when you send long reviews, you're being annoying. You aren't. I adore them. :D**

**To ccQTccQT: Awwwww, thank you! That made my...well, morning, because I read this right after waking up.**

**To gaga4seddie and xXxStompingOnRosesxXx: No, it is most definitely NOT over. There will definitely be some Cibby action, because I love the idea of Carly and Gibby as a couple. Plus, I want to see what happens during the duration of Freddie and Sam's relationship over their high school years. I just hate it when people end fanfics right after two people resolve their issues. So yeah. there will be a TON more chapters :)**

**In case for some reason you guys haven't noticed this yet, I group people whose reviews were very similar together and then I respond. I also wait to update a new chapter until I believe that everyone who is going to review has reviewed, because I want to have a chance to publicly respond to everyone. **

**So please review! And don't forget my questions and such from earlier!**

**-Amy**


	15. Don't You See Me Changing Up My Ways

"Where is Sam?" said Carly, frustrated again by Sam's lack of punctuality. Freddie and Carly had been in the studio for about twenty minutes, trying to come up with ideas for that week's _iCarly_. But without Sam, most of their funnier ideas and pranks fell flat. Most of their funniest ideas and pranks came from the wondrous cacophany that was Sam's brain.

"I'm not sure. I texted her a little while ago and I called her too, but she's not answering me." Freddie was worried too, that much Carly knew, but he knew that if Sam wasn't here after all the crap Carly had given her about arriving late to rehearsals in the past, there had to be a good reason that Sam wasn't currently in their presence.

Carly walked over to the stand by the prop car and grabbed a banana and a Sharpie. Plopping down on the red beanbag, she started to draw a face on the banana like Gibby had taught her to do whenever she got nervous.

Freddie noticed Carly anxiously doodling on the yellow fruit. "Shay, chill. She'll be here-she always is."

The worried brunette relaxed the tiniest bit, but Freddie knew that she would only fully calm down when Sam was with them. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was concerned about Sam's absence as much as Carly was. Before, when she had been late to rehearsals, it was always because she was either doing something that could get her in trouble with the law or stuffing herself full of food, sometimes both. Lately she had cooled down on the illegal activities, channeling her temper and rampant creativity into _iCarly_ and her specialties, the Messing With Lewbert and Wake Up Spencer pranks.

She was still Sam though, and still ate massive quantities of food. That would never change-except maybe on her deathbed-and even then Freddie was sure she'd be asking for a burger and a Fat Shake.

Five minutes passed in which Carly drew a whole fruit family and Freddie filtered through some videos sent to_ iCarly _from their loyal viewers, his favorite being this group of kids no older than seven years old doing the catdaddy.

Just as Carly was finishing the face on an apple, Sam barged into the studio.

"Guys, I'm so sorry that I'm late!" Sam apologized in between large gasps of breath; she had clearly run a long distance.

"Jeez, Puckett, where were you?" The apple that Carly had been drawing on now rested on the table with the other various fruits, and she confronted her friend. "We were worried sick!You usually call when you know you're going to be this late!"

Sam took a deep breath, bracing herself for Carly's wrath. "I couldn't, Carls. The battery on my phone died. I'm sorry though, I really am."

"Sorry?_ Sorry?_ Chiz, Sam, for all we knew you could have been in some serious trouble and all you have to say is _sorry?_ Where were you?" Carly's voice was reaching a frequency that would soon be heard only by bats and some dogs.

"I was at the library."

Freddie and Carly were flabbergasted, to say the least. Freddie almost asked Sam to repeat herself, because she had whispered her answer so quietly that neither of them were sure of having heard her correctly.

"The library?" Freddie said, just now noticing the full backpack whose straps strained against Sam's shoulders.

"Yeah...finals are coming up next week and I know that you guys are going to have no problem at all but even with the extra help you have been giving me with school and stuff I still think I might fail, and if I bomb the finals then I don't pass the year which means I don't graduate on time." Sam looked at her feet, almost ashamed to meet Freddie and Carly's eyes. They had fully convinced her to start applying herself in school a few months ago, but even that couldn't fix the earlier portion of the year, where Sam had been her usual lazy self.

Freddie and Carly looked at each other, shocked. Of all the activities that they would have predicted Sam's involvement with, studying at the library was NOT one of them. Carly opened her mouth, clearly about to continue the subject, but Freddie shut her down with a shake of his head. He knew how much it took Sam to admit that she had to work to be good at something, it was a Puckett pride thing.

"Well anyway, we should get started planning out this week's _iCarly_. There's this really cute video of three little kids doing the catdaddy that we should definitely air. Two of the kids can't be older than 6 and the other one is only like 7, it's so funny..." Freddie said, desperately trying to steer the conversation back to _iCarly_ before Sam got too embarrassed and gave up the institution of studying altogether.

The rest of the night proceeded like any other_ iCarly _rehearsal, if what they did every show could be considered normal. Sam came up with a wickedly funny prank to play on Lewbert that involved a very delicious, very innocent-looking ice cream sundae for the nasty doorman that would deliver an unexpected shock once he took a big bite. The _iCarly_ viewers would love it, they were of this.

Around nine, Carly went downstairs to get dinner and other supplies for the three. Sam had already announced (there was no need to ask anymore, really) that she was spending the night with Carly regardless of being a school night, and Freddie would stay as long as he could. Sometimes, if he lingered over at the Shay's until a particularly late hour, Spencer would offer their couch up for him to crash on. Surprisingly, Mrs. Benson allowed this.

Her excuse was that her little boy was becoming a little man, and she couldn't control him forever.

The reason that the rest of the gang knew to be true was that Marissa Benson was too busy focusing her attentions on Freddie's one-time bodyguard, Gunsmoke.

Nobody understood it.

Nobody was sure if they wanted to.

All they knew was that one day Sam, Carly and Freddie went to hang at Freddie's after school (Spencer was running an errand with Socko that for some reason involved a trip to the Canadian border, but he had locked the door and Carly had inconveniently forgotten her spare key) when Freddie had unlocked his apartment door to a sight that had them all screaming.

Marissa and Gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke and Marissa.

Sprawled across the couch that Freddie frequently used to lounge about and watch TV on, making out voraciously.

At least they had the decency to jump apart and look ashamed when they heard the kids' yells.

Needless to say, the gang ran to the Groovy Smoothie as fast as their legs could carry them, Sam winning the unannounced race and insisting that Freddie buy her a smoothie as a reward.

Ever since then, Marissa had been a lot easier on Freddie. She was still slightly crazy, still made sure he double poo'ed and ate all of his asparagus, but no longer fought to the death with her son about every little detail, something the younger Benson was extremely grateful for.

"Did you hear where Carls said she was going to go get food? I wasn't listening when she told us." Sam walked over to where Freddie was reclining on the blue bean bag and snuggled up next to him, placing her head against the comfortable fabric that covered his shoulder.

"Yeah, she's just running across the street to Tennessee Fried Chicken."

"Awesome."

"Wait, if you weren't listening to her then, what was holding your attention?"

Sam wanted to make a witty remark about Freddie always having her attention because she knew it would inflate his ego, but she decided against it and decided to tell the truth. "I was thinking about how awesome that Lewbert prank is going to be."

The pair thought about it and started chuckling at the same time. "Sam, you're cruel."

"I know, but this? This is going to be LEGIT. Imagine Lewbert's nasty, warted face when he thinks he's taking a bite of a delicious ice cream sundae with whipped cream and sprinkles only to realize that the whipped cream is really sour cream!" Sam cackled evilly.

Freddie couldn't help it. The mental image of what was sure to be a hysterical reaction from Lewbert coupled with the evil grin on Sam's face had him doubled over in laughter, to the point where his stomach hurt, he couldn't catch his breath, and he felt like he was going to cry at any second.

Eventually his laughter subsided and he folded Sam back in his arms. "I love you, you demon."

"I love you too, you dork."

Sam pulled his face down to hers and relished the few minutes they had together before Carly returned, when she would chastise the couple for making out in her studio.

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: That's okay, you don't have to read every other story I write just because I write it. If you're a Ron/Hermione shipper, then you're a Ron/Hermione shipper :) And hush, HP fics are AMAZING, as long as they're written well enough.**

**To Arocksprpl2: Awww, I'm sorry, I know how badly that must suck. If I was more knowledgeable about the various X Men, I would write a Rogue/Bobby just for you. But, alas, I do not, and I apologize for your sufferings.**

**To luktheduke: Of course, Rocky Horror Picure show is freaking fantabulous.**

**To Key2DestNE, Mary Rachel, MayRaah: Thank you all for your sympathies on my problem. It warms the cockles of my heart, truly. 3**

**To Mike2101: I have actually gotten this complaint before, about my transitioning being funky. Even my newly found beta pointed it out. I will try to be better about it, and after I finish iCHTA I'll go back and edit. Promise. And I will also try to keep my personal life ramblings to a minimum, that's also why I moved everything to after the chapter is written that way you can skip it if you want to. You are yelling at me to post, you are very good at that. I appreciate it, really I do.**

**To ccQTccQT, DannySam20, SeddieForever45, ilove icarly, GeekQuality, SeddieSpaghetti: Awww, thank you! These are always so sweet :)**

**To hartful13: Thanks you for the tip on where to find more H/Hr fics! :)**

**To SeddieSpaghetti: Wow. That was a loooooooooong review, I loved it :) Yes, I will definitely continue the story for as long as it feels right. I definitely won't be stopping any time soon though. I promise.**

**Review, please?**

**-Amy**


	16. I Get Up, But Nothing Gets Me Down

**Sorry, everybody. For the first time in forever I've actually had a social life. Hope this makes up for it, a little. Thank you to my wonderful beta David, and to anyone that reviewed.**

The gang had celebrated their first official week of summer before the beginning of their junior year by doing absolutely nothing. This was absolute bliss for Freddie and Carly, who applied themselves so judiciously throughout the school year that even during weekends they barely got true down time. Sam, who was used to slacking off, especially on the weekends, was used to the lackadaisical pace and quite enjoyed watching Carly and Freddie actually slack off for once.

Their days were spent lounging around Carly's apartment and their nights were spent planning that week's _iCarly_. Spencer joked that the comfy red couch in the Shay's living room would permanently have the imprint of the three's rear ends.

_iCarly_ that week had been their most successful yet. Sam's ice cream prank on Lewbert had the gang rolling in laughter on the air, to the point where Freddie almost dropped his camera watching the video of Lewbert gagging on the sour cream sundae. The viewer tally on the iCarly site showed that their webcast had gotten 1.5 million viewers, more than any other episode in the show's history.

After the tenth day of doing nothing but _iCarly_, the group decided to get off their lazy butts and do something summery. Carly wanted to go to the beach, but the sky had chosen that day of all days to open up and do its worst to Seattle.

They all bemoaned the rain, regretting that the weather had taken a turn for the worse on the exact day that they had all wanted to actually do something.

After another two hours of watching television, Sam came up with the first great idea of the summer.

"Hey, Carls? Does Spencer still have that membership with the YMCA down the street?"

Carly stared at her, completely confused. "Yeah, he got it when he met this pretty girl named Vicky who was really into working out. Why?"

"They have an indoor pool, right?"

The other two caught on to Sam's train of thought. Within seconds, Carly and Sam were darting up to Carly's room to throw on their swimsuits while Freddie ran across the hall to get his own.

Sam (who didn't waste an hour to prepare to do something that would be ruined in 5 miuntes like Carly had the tendency to do) had her favorite red bikini on in under three minutes and ran down the flights of stairs separating her from the first floor of the apartment to ask Spencer to take them to the YMCA.

"Spence! What are your plans for today?" Sam barged into the eldest Shay's room, ignoring the fact that he was playing Gears of War and stood directly in front of the television screen.

In that moment, she was glad of two things. The first was that she had gotten over her little crush on Spencer, because while he was admittedly cute, he was also too goofy and way too old for her. The second thing Sam was grateful for was that she had wrapped herself in one of the daffodil-like bathing suit cover dress things that Carly liked so much. While she had overcome her crush on Spencer long ago, it would still no doubt be awkward if Sam came running into Spencer's room wearing nothing but her bikini. The bikini part wasn't bad; it's not like Spencer hadn't seen Sam in one. But lately, she had outgrown Carly in the chest department and while she loved her bikini, it was no longer as fully supportive as it once was.

"Nothing, just video games with the boys. Why?"

"Can you cancel that, or at least reschedule? The three of us hooligans want to go swimming, and you're the only one that can take us. Could you pretty please take us to the YMCA? Gibby and Brad are coming too, so you'll have dudes."

Spencer was quiet for a minute, letting Sam wait. He knew his answer was already yes. If he was being honest with himself, playing video games every day was getting boring. But he just liked to see the impatient blonde squirm, it was hysterical. Sam was like a little puppy whenever she got impatient, it was precious.

"Sure, kiddo. Give me five minutes to grab the essentials and we'll hit the streets."

"Thanks, adulto!" Sam bolted from the room, going to the kitchen to carbo-load. If she was going to play with her friends for who knows how long, she couldn't do that on an empty stomach.

Across the hall, Freddie was desperately trying to avoid his mother and Gunsmoke. Even though she was with Gunsmoke now and had cooled off a considerable amount on the craziness, Marissa would still freak out if she knew her precious baby boy would be swimming in the YMCA pool. Neatfreak as she was, she regarded public pools as no better than a community bath.

Freddie entered the apartment and heard the sounds of what he knew to be Marissa's favorite show, Extreme Couponing, coming from her room. From the unbroken sound of his mother's laughter as she watched the people at the cash register try to scan these massive transactions, he knew he had not been heard as he entered the apartment. Freddie crept into him room, sliding on his swim trunks and grabbing his favorite navy blue-, purple- and red-striped beach towel from the bathroom. Marissa would not be expecting him home until late that night, if at all, and she never checked on him while he was at the Shays' anymore.

He crept like a ninja out of the apartment and breathed huge sigh of relief as he crossed the threshold through Carly's doorway.

His left foot hadn't even touched the brown hardwood floor for a second when he looked up

Sam was in the kitchen, rummaging through the Shays' food.

This was nothing new, especially not for Sam.

What _was_ new was the fact that Sam was wearing a red bikini, bent over looking for pudding cups in the bottom of the fridge.

If it had just been Sam looking for pudding cups, Freddie might have kept his composure. But being the teenage boy that he was, the sight of Sam's elevated, slightly exposed rear end did things to him that were very inconvenient at that given moment. He ran to the couch and sat in his usual spot, pulling one of the large, multicolored pillows onto his lap.

"Uh, Sam? What are you doing?" Freddie winced as his voice reached his ears, suddenly hoarse and scratchy and squeaking once like it did when his voice changed.

"Eating, Frednub. What does it look like?" The insult that spewed from Sam's mouth lacked the edge that had accompanied it before they started dating. Instead, Sam smiled warmly up at him before returning to her search for a spoon to join the tapioca pudding cup that she had located in the very back of the fridge.

"Eating. That's what it looks like." Freddie was too concerned with not having his dilemma exposed to his girlfriend to focus on the conversation itself. Absorbed in her food, Sam didn't notice Freddie slowly regain his composure and walk up the stairs to force Carly to hurry up. By the time he had dragged Carly away from her makeup mirror, Sam had devoured four pudding cups and she and Spencer were standing by the door.

"Ready to go, teensters?" Spencer said, doing his little Spencer dance.

"Ready!" The trio shouted simutaneously. They practically ran to Spencer's car, momentarily forgetting the downpour that would be awaiting them outside. Rain pelted them from all sides as soon as they were free from the safe confines of the lobby. It was turned into a game to see who could get to the car fastest while also being the dryest. Sam, ninja that she was, won.

It was always hard to best Sam in competitions that required speed.

Or strength.

Or eating.

As they had all expected, with the torrential downpour occuring outside, the YMCA was pretty much deserted save for the employees. Spencer checked them in and led the way to the large indoor pool, where they group didn't even bother to utilize the locker room, instead choosing to just drop their stuff and jump right in.

Carly and Spencer immediately challenged one another to a race, five laps around the pool. Sam and Freddie chose to take the more lethargic approach and floated on rafts along the pool's edge.

"So..." Sam started.

"So what?"

"So I saw you. You know, before we left."

Freddie gulped. Oh, yes. He was dead. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about."

Sam laughed quietly, a soft sound that for some reason reminded him of the incident that had recently occured and just then, he was glad for the cold water.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Fredward. You're a 16 year old dude, these things happen."

He wanted so desperately to deny it again, but Freddie knew Sam was smarter than that. The only way to get out of what was sure to be an extremely awkward conversation was to use Sam's greatest weakness against her, her short attention span.

When Sam took a brief second to glance over at the race between Carly and Spencer, Freddie quietly slid off of his raft and underneath the surface of the water. Like an otter, he maneuvered his way to directly below Sam's raft, and pushed with all of his might onto the area where the small of her back was.

He felt Sam fly into the air and land with an impressive splash not two feet from where he was. Before the blonde had a chance to retaliate, Freddie reached under the splash zone and grabbed Sam by her waist, lifting her above the water and tossing her for a second time.

Freddie was unsurprised when Sam let out several high peals of laughter midair. She lived for moments like this, thrills and surprises.

What surprised him was that Sam twisted in midair like a freaking gymnast and landed in a tightly curled ball right on his chest.

Freddie's breath flew out of him lungs, which was very inconvenient as he was plummeting underwater. While he struggled to reach the surface, he felt a pair of arms and legs wrap themselves around his torso. They didn't try to keep him underwater or lift him to the surface, they were just _there. _A comfortable weight, a weight that molded to his body perfectly.

Freddie rose to that surface and the first sight that greeted his eyes was a kaleidoscope of blue. Sam had her eyes bored into his, but they closed as she moved her head down to meet his lips. Thankful that he had successfully avoided the awkward conversation about his boy part troubles, Freddie wrapped himself up closer in Sam and kissed her back.

Sam retreated seconds after initiating the kiss, a first for them.

The look of confusion and disappointment on Freddie's face was too much for Sam, and she giggled. "Freddie, if I had the parts that you do, I'd be having a lot more trouble a lot more often than you do. So hush."

Unfortunately for the teenage boy, Sam's voice had carried across the empty pool room to where Carly and Spencer were resting, Carly having won the race. Brad and Gibby had arrived too by that point, and they heard what Sam said as well. After the initial shock of Sam's words faded, the group of six dissolved into laughter.

**To hartful13: Thank you for the tip about the H/Hr fic, I will most definitely check it out :)**

**To Geekquality, DannySamLover20, ccQTccQT: Awwwwwwwww, thanks you guys! :)**

**To LyshaLuvsSeddie: I hope you know, I made the mistake of taking a drink right before I read this and your review made me LOL so hard I spit on my laptop screen! :)**

**To Arocksprpl2: LOL really? That cracks me up. I've actually done that before, read the same story twice without realizing it. **

**To SeddieSpaghetti: I actually have to thank my AP Euro/Human Behavior teacher for the idea of Sam's prank on Lewbert in the last chapter. That happened to him when he was little, except it was him making his own sundae when he was like 6 and while he was making it, he accidentally mixed up the whipped cream and the sour cream. He hasn't been able to eat anything white since. I'm not kidding, we keep trying to trip him up by making him food. If it's white, he won't eat it. Not even milk. I'm planning on reusing it on my sister next April Fool's Day if she doesn't start being nicer to me...bwahahahahah.**

**Dear readers:**

**Please review.**

**Amy.**


	17. Houston, We Might Have A Problem

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, you all. I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me, so I broke it off with him and that was hard. Now my best friend is pregnant, which is worrisome because she A) has medical issues and B) we're only 17. So yeah, my life has been pretty busy. But I tried to make this extra long for you to make up for it.**

Sometimes Sam hated being a Puckett. Sure, the blonde hair and pretty blue eyes were nice. Even the famous Puckett temper came in handy every once in a while. But the one thing that Sam inherited from her mother that she hated was the Puckett insecurity.

It had been three days since the pool incident. After the embarrassing stint discussing Freddie's manly parts, Gibby and Brad had decided to initiate a game of water football. The gang's version of water football was different than usual water football, the major change being that one member of the group was elected to be the 'football'. It was usually always Carly, because she was too weak to pick up any of the other players except Sam, and the only reason she could lift Sam was that Sam weighed notably less in water. That day, though, they had all decided to mix it up a bit. Spencer was nominated to be the football, which made things considerably more difficult. Spencer was a very fidgety football, always wriggling around in everybody's grasp and flailing wildly against the water, causing giant waves to splash against the face of whoever was holding him. The only person who was effectively able to control Spencer's childish antics was Gibby, and that was because Gibby was built like a linebacker.

After the rowdy game of water football, the gang had returned to the Shay apartment completely knackered. **(A/N: I LOVE that word. Knackered. It gets me going lol)**. Brad and Gibby left as soon as Carly complained that her hair felt all chlorine-y and she was going to was also Spencer's cue to bow out, and he left to go play more video games with his boys.

As Carly was running upstairs to her shower, she shouted down at Sam and Freddie to go to the convenience store across the street from Bushwell and pick up some more microwave popcorn, because Sam had depleted their stock the previous day.

The walk to the convenience store was fine.

Buying the popcorn was fine.

It was the walk back to Bushwell that gave Sam some issues.

Sam knew that Griffin, Carly's creepy ex, had finally moved on and was with a new girl, some fiery redheaded ho-girl named Kelsey. Kelsey was a fangirl type of girl, the girl that you could clearly imagine having a full-size poster of Taylor Lautner on her bedroom wall that she kissed before going to sleep each night. Sam also knew that Kelsey was also the type of girl that wasn't always faithful to the men she dated, and was therefore unsurprised when, on the walk back to the Bushwell, she saw Kelsey's eyes appreciatively rake over Freddie's body.

Sam clenched Freddie's hand a little too forcefully in her effort to make Kelsey notice that Freddie was not available for her lecherous claws to sink into, and Sam saw Freddie wince from pain out of the corner of her eye. She rubbed her thumb over the back of Freddie's hand in apology.

These simple yet tender actions were not lost on Kelsey. The loose redhead backed off somewhat, but not enough for Sam's liking.

Like one of those sappy couples in a foreign romance movie, Sam wrapped her arm around Freddie's bicep and leaned into his side, sighing softly and putting a small smile on her face.

It was then that Kelsey spoke.

"Hey, you two. You guys are Sam and Freddie from _iCarly_, right? Griffin just loves you guys' show." Sam took note of the little marker of defeat in Kelsey's eyes, now confident that her relationship was not under pressure from Griffin's girlfriend. She knew that Freddie was unwaveringly faithful and would never do anything to hurt her, but Sam felt that Kelsey wasn't worth the jail time if she put her hands on Freddie.

"Yeah, that's us. Thanks, we love when fans come up to us. It's really rewarding to know that people appreciate our hard work." Freddie had noticed the somewhat hostile exchange between his Sam and the other girl whose name he didn't know. He saw the way the red-haired girl looked at him like he was something to eat. He felt Sam possesively grab his hand (painfully, too) and then lean against him like an old movie couple. Then he saw the other girl back off, of that he was grateful. Freddie loved Sam, and didn't appreciate any other girl trying to infringe on that happiness.

Freddie squeezed Sam's hand in what he hoped was a reassuring way, and watched the other girl dejectedly walk away.

"Sam, what was that about?"

"What do you mean, Benson?"

"Sam...you know what I mean. As soon as that chick came up to us, you started holding on to me."

Sam at least had the decency to look abashed. "She's just...I don't like her. Her name is Kelsey and she's Griffin's new girlfriend and she's not the nicest or most faithful person. Everyone knows that Kelsey will try to steal someone's boyfriend in a second if they aren't careful."

Freddie was slightly surprised. Was Sam really worried that he would leave her, especially for someone like that Kelsey girl? She had to know by now how Freddie felt about her.

But then...Sam was a Puckett. And it's not like Pam provided any sense of emotional stability for Sam when she was growing up. So for Sam to be even the slightest bit insecure over her relationship with him, or unsure of his feelings for her, it had to be expected.

"Sam, some girl is NOT going to come between us. I promise. I love you, you know that."

Sam smiled haltingly, still not sold.

Freddie sighed, slightly exasperated. How could he prove to his silly, beautiful, precious girlfriend that he wouldn't trade her for the most beautiful supermodel in the world?

The duo crossed the street and walked into the lobby of the Bushwell, ignoring Lewbert's hysterical screams. Deciding the stairs would be too jostling for the sodas they had also acquired (and also having been hit by a sudden burst of inspiration), Freddie pulled Sam towards the elevator.

The two laughed when Lewbert tried to unsuccessfully force them from entering the elevator. The thirty-something year old man had sprawled himself across the elvator doors, then fell on his back when the door has opened due to the pressure. Sam merely grabbed him by the ankles and dragged the unconscious man behind his desk.

Freddie smirked and held open the elevator doors for his girlfriend, who was nearly doubled over laughing at the sight of Lewbert's body laying spread-eagled on the floor.

"This nub is such a lightweight! I mean really, all he did was fall backwards. He didn't even hit the ground that hard, and yet he's totally knocked out! I can see why his only girlfriend was that psycho Marta." Sam skipped into the elevator, still chuckling. But behind the mask of humor, Freddie could just barely detect the smothered signs of needing to be accepted, wanting to be loved.

It nearly killed him.

Freddie took the bags that were in his hands and set them on the floor in the corner of the elevator. Sam looked at him, not even bothering to hide the curiosity in her expression.

"Sam, look. For some reason., you let that Kelsey chick get to you. I don't know why, because quite honestly, it's going to take a lot more than some glorified Barbie doll to get me away from you. Sorry to tell you this, but for the time being you're kind of stuck with me."

Sam broke out in an exultant grin and took the three steps to cross the close confines of the elevator and hug her boyfriend. Somehow, he seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear, and knew that he hadn't been lying, either. Sam, however, wasn't content with merely a hug. Because nearly all of their time was spent in the company of Spencer, Carly, Gibby, Brad, or a combination of the four, solitary moments with Freddie were few and far between.

Not breaking the hug, Sam gently pushed Freddie against the walls of the elevator and pushed the emergency stop button.

"Uh, Sam? What's going on?"

"Freddie, I've missed you." She laughed quietly at the adorable expression of confusion on Freddie's face.

"But Sam, we've seen each other nearly every day since school let out."

"That's not what I meant."

Before Freddie could open his mouth for further questions, Sam pressed her lips on his.

Apparently Freddie had missed her too, because he caught up to her mood in less than a second. One of his hands wound itself in the curls at the base of Sam's neck, the other wrapped around her waist. Both of Sam's arms intertwined up over his shoulders, pulling herself closer to him.

In a flash of speed that Sam didn't know Freddie was capable of, their positions were reversed. Sam was now the one breathlessly pinned against the tan walls of the elevator and Freddie was holding her up several inches off the ground with his hands on her hips, making it easier for him to kiss her without getting a neck ache later. Sam used her hands to curl Freddie's dark brown hair around her fingers and bring his face back to hers.

It took them several minutes to make it back up to Carly's apartment.

**DannySamLover20, ccQTccQT, iMaximumSeddie, lovelovelove898, Geekquality: Aww, thanks! :)**

**Arocksprpl2: Right? I can just see her hankering down on the couch, settling in for a marathon of watching people going crazy over saving massive amounts of money while buying in humorously large amounts of bulk.**

**SeddieSpaghetti: I totally get what you mean by it being too perfect. There will be more water romance, I promise. But every relationship has trials and tribulations, so don't worry, those'll be in here too. And I absolutely adore how random your reviews are, they're like my brain.**

**Kind of disappointed by how little reviews I got, but oh well.**

**Please review.**


	18. Suits

"What took you guys so long?" Carly asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Uh...the convenience store. It was kind of packed. You know, it's late, and people need their...conveniences." Sam didn't feel the need to tell Carly just then about the confrontation in the road with Griffin's girlfriend. That could wait until later, when Freddie had left. And Sam definitely didn't feel the need to tell Carly about the heated embrace in the elevator. Some things just didn't need to be shared, even between best friends.

Carly noted the hurried, baseless excuse and Sam"s and Freddie's mussed appearances. Freddie's shirt was disheveled, the buttons lined up unevenly. Sam's hair was wilder than usual, and her lips had the chapped look even though it was summertime. Although Carly had initially wanted to know what had taken her two best friends so long, she decided that she didn't really want to know. She loved Sam and Freddie, and she loved the fact that they were together and loved each other, but Carly also felt that she could be spared all of the gory details. "Uh huh. Sure. Anyway, did you get the popcorn? I'm in the mood for a superhero movie marathon night."

Freddie tossed the box of movie theater butter into Carly's waiting hands.

"Thanks, guys. Freddie, go get Captain America out of Spencer's room. He's been hogging it and I want to see Chris Evans' gorgeous face."

"Will do." Freddie left the room, and Carly smirked at her best female friend.

"Convenient supplies, my ass. You two were somewhere getting it on!"

Sam blushed. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes. Now go put on some nightclothes in my room and get yourself cleaned up before Spencer sees you looking all ravished."

By the time Sam got back downstairs, the popcorn had already been made and the gang was settled in on the couch, Spencer included. Freddie had saved Sam a seat next to him, a seat Sam gladly took.

Carly pressed play on the DVD player. Soon, they were all wrapped up in the tale of Captain America.

000

By the time July rolled around, Sam had put Kelsey out of her mind and had decided just to enjoy the seemingly never-ending time with Freddie and Carly. Independence Day was coming up, and the trio was trying to plan something epic for the _iCarly_ that week.

Carly wanted to find a way to work out with the city to let them use special fireworks for the webcast.

Sam wanted to tie bottle rockets to Lewbert's shoes.

Freddie wanted Sam not to tie bottle rockets to Lewbert's shoes. No matter how funny she insisted the end result might be, Sam had managed to stay out of juvie since the incident where she shoved the hot dog down the Mexican ambassador's pants and Carly and Freddie were trying to keep it that way.

In the end, they settled for Spencer's idea: to see if Socko's cousin Bernie could sell them some of his customized fireworks that would display the iCarly logo in all of its glory against the Seattle sky.

After reaching a consensus during rehearsal that afternoon, Carly went to meet Wendy at Build-a-Bra, taking Sam with her. Freddie was being left alone at his apartment with his mother for the whole day, which he usually dreaded but today knew was necessary. Carly and Sam needed some girly time without him there. As much as his day would be boring as hell, he knew that this was something that wasn't negotiable.

He crossed the hall and entered his apartment to see that his mother and Gunsmoke had left for some unknown destination. Freddie noticed the sheet of his mother's familiar pink stationery on the counter and read her concerned yet cheery note to him:

_Freddiebear, _

_ Gunsmoke and I are going down to Napa Valley for the weekend. Isn't he wonderful? I left you food money in the microwave, please don't spend it all on junk food. You know what I say: If it's sweet and sticky, it will make you sicky. There's also some tofurkey noodle casserole in the fridge from last night. Please either make sure that gets eaten or throw it away before it goes bad. Sam is welcome to spend time with you, but no matter how wily your teenage hormones might be, I do not want ANY shenanigans occuring in this apartment. Call me when you read this so I know you are safe. My mace and Gunsmoke's aluminum baseball bat are behind the suitcase in my closet._

_Love, _

_Mommy_

Freddie sighed. On one hand, his mother and Gunsmoke were completely gone for the weekend, which opened up a world of opportunities for him and Sam. On the other hand, the note his mother left for him reminded him of exactly why he had briefly moved out: she still treated him like a little boy. Granted, it had gotten better since he had come back, but still. Was it still necessary to use those infantile rhymes to remind him not to gorge himself on junk food?

He blushed when his mother mentioned the possible...shenanigans. Freddie could not lie and say that it hadn't crossed his mind to take their relationship past where it was now, but he knew that he would have to wait for Sam to initiate anything. He didn't want to push her before she was ready; his mother had raised him better than that. He had worked hard to earn Sam;s trust, he didn;t want to lose it all over his hormones. Besides, Freddie knew that if he even brought it up right now she'd probably break his thumbs. So for weeks he had been somewhat of a master of self-control, a mental image of Ms. Briggs in a leather bikini at his disposal whenever he needed it.

Freddie crossed the living room and picked up the telephone. He dialed his mother's cell phone number and listened to her pre-call song, John Mellencamp's 'Jack and Diane'. For a second he thought he was going to be sent to voicemail, but on the eighth ring his mother finally picked up.

"I'm sorry, Freddiebear. My phone fell between the seat and the console so I couldn't immediately answer the phone. Did you get the note on the counter? Are you scared of being home alone for so long? Should we turn around and head back for Seattle?" There was the mother that he knew, loved and mostly tolerated. Although being with Gunsmoke romantically had calmed down some of her neuroses, she was still the overprotective mom she had always been and would always be.

"Yes, Mom. That's why I'm calling. You and Gunsmoke are going to be in Napa Valley this weekend? That sounds really nice, I hope you guys have a wonderful time. I heard the Fourth of July is really nice down there."

"That's what I heard too. Good luck with your special webshow tomorrow night, I'll be watching from the resort. And I meant what I said in the letter, about there being no shenanigans between you and Sam in the house."

Freddie's blush returned like a wildfire. "Of course not, Mom. I would never risk anything that would prevent me from going to college. She's actually not even here right now, she went with Carly and Wendy to have some girl time."

"Good, Freddie. Keep that in mind. Anyway, we're about to hit the freeway and I don't want to distract Gunsmoke from driving properly. I'll call you again when we stop for gas, and then when we get to the resort." Freddie could practically hear the smile in his mother's voice when he assured her that he and Sam would be decently behaved while she was away. He said goodbye and hung up the phone, contemplating all the things he, Carly, and Sam could do with this golden opportunity.

000

"Okay, so I definitely want the lime green straps with the titanium hooks..." Sam said, looking over her choices. They had been at Build-a-Bra for almost an hour, and Sam was working on her third bra. Carly had laughed at her earlier that morning when Sam had whined about outgrowing all of her bras, and suggested that Sam stop consuming so many meat and dairy products. Sam, aghast, almost hit Carly. Instead, she had come up with the idea of a girls' day out with Carly and Wendy. Plus, things were getting a little more heated with Freddie lately and if they ever got to the point where her shirt ever came off, she didn't want to look like her cup runneth over.

"Get them then, you wild woman! Although I still say the black lacy one is the cutest." Wendy laughed over at Sam's serious decision-making face. Carly had blushed furiously when Sam had made the black bra, mumbling something about how she had seen in a movie once that black bras were only worn by girls who wanted them seen. Both Sam and Wendy had laughed at her flustered expression. Both girls knew it wasn't exactly nice to laugh at Carly's slight prudishness, but come on! How can one girl be so boy crazy yet so naive at the same time?

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I need more than just the one, so I'm making this one."

Forty-five minutes later, the girls had purchased their creations and were standing in line at Bovine Princess waiting to get ice cream when a text buzzed in on Sam's phone.

_Freddie: Hey, Princess. Mom and Gunsmoke hightailed it to Napa Valley for Independence Day weekend. I have the house to myself for three days. _

Holy chiz. Crazy never left Freddie alone unsupervised that long! Usually she got Spencer to keep Freddie at their place while she was at one of her psycho aggressive parenting conferences, but Sam guessed that Gunsmoke had mellowed her out just enough that she was willing to let her entirely too responsible 15-year-old son stay at home for three days by himself.

_Sam: That's awesome, Freddie! :) Can you say house party?_

_Freddie: Sam! Do you WANT to see my mom burst into flames?_

_Sam: Um, yes. That would be amazing._

_Freddie: Sam...no. We can't throw a party. If we do and Mom finds out, I won't be able to leave the house until I'm 40. _

_Sam: But baaaaaaabyyyyyy._

_Freddie: Don't but baaaaaaaabyyyyyyy me. That only works when we're face to face. If I can't see you doing that ridiculously adorable puppy dog face, it doesn't work._

_Sam: You suck, did you know that?_

_Freddie. You love me. So anyway, when are you and the other girls going to be done? There are some new things for the fireworks special that I wanted to run by you and Carly. _

Sam looked up from her phone at Carly's insistence and saw her best friend standing with a man that she didn't know. The dude was all dolled up in a business suit with perfectly coiffed hair, waiting patiently for Sam to join in the discussion with him and Carly.

"What's up?"

Carly opened her mouth before the suit dude had a chance to. "Sam, this is Mr. Reichner. He owns the company that operates Build-a-Bra and Glitter Gloss. He wants to use us for a special promotion!"

Sam glanced warily at the man in the fancy suit. If her mother's history had taught her anything about men, it was that they weren't always what they seemed.

She gave him a onceover. His dark hair was cut perfectly, probably in some uppity salon. His watch was expensive, no doubt. It resembled the fancy diver's watch that a doctor her mom had dated owned. The suit that he wore was impeccable, dark blue with a white undershirt and what was undeniably a black silk tie. His shoes were leather-Italian, she presumed.

He looked pretty legit.

"What kind of promotion?"

This time, Mr. Reichner got to talk before Carly had the opportunity to cut him off. "It's simple, really. You guys are perfect for our target demographic. You're both very famous web stars and, if I may say so without sounding creepy, you are also both very beautiful girls. All my company and I want you to do is maybe appear at a store event, sign some autographs, and then put on a little show for the audience that will undoubtedly gather."

"What do you mean, a little show? Like, a mini episode of iCarly?" Carly inquired.

"No, nothing like that. It would just be too weird outside of your studio. But we understand that you, Carly, are a fairly decent singer and you, Sam, can both sing as well as dance."

"So you want us to perform songs and stuff?"

"Precisely, Miss Puckett. Just one apiece, show that you have more going on for the both of you than comedy."

Sam debated this for a second. She hadn't truly performed for an audience since the pageant, and even then it was just dancing. She couldn't remember if anyone had heard her sing in a long time. Sam missed it.

"We'll do it. Right, Carls?" Carly nodded, an excited look on her face at the prospect of singing for so many people.

"Of course we will. Give us a time and place and a place for our tech producer to set everything up for us."

"Okay, girls. We'll be in touch." With that, Mr. Reichner smiled at them both, shook their hands, and walked away.

**A/N: So. I apologize profusely for the lack of regular updates. My senior year of high school is a cruel master that must be obeyed, and I'm taking three AP classes: AP English 12, AP Calculus, and AP European History. I was most literally in the middle of writing this chapter about a week ago when a snobby little blonde plotbunny that greatly resembles Draco Malfoy came and smacked me in the face. I'm pretty sure that I wrote for at least six hours straight on my newest story, Before I Fall. It's Draco/Hermione, and it's gotten pretty positive stuff so far. If you all want to go read it, I would be deeply obliged. **

**Also, the amount of reviews has been seriously lacking. I'm not going to resort to previous measures and start witholding chapters again (even though I feel like I should), but a two-second review doesn't seem like it would be that big of a deal. When like three people review, it makes me think that you all hated the chapter, which discourages me from writing. So please, please, PLEASE review? For me and my new baby story?**

**LyshaLuvsSeddie: Wow, I haven't heard from you in quite some time. I liked the last few chapters too, because not everything can be sunshine and roses for Sam and Freddie.**

**Geekquality, Arocksprpl2, DannySamLover20, lovelovelove898: Thanks you guys. Really, so much. Even simple reviews make me want to update that much faster. :) 3**

**Seddie Spaghetti: So, your brain officially beats mine on the randomness scale. As for fanfic ideas, it depends on what pairings you want to do. Let me know and I'll see if I can scrape up anything.**


	19. And The Crowd Goes Wild

"Code wet! Code wet!" Spencer shouted, launching himself down the staircase and into the living room. "Carly has just taken a chair into her shower!"

_Chiz, _Sam thought._ It's all that Reichner dude's fault. If he hadn't gotten us to agree to do the promotion gig, Carly wouldn't be pulling a Crazy and spazzing out. All she has to do is sing a song or two, for crying out loud! Does she see me losing my mind over this? No. _

"I got this, Spence. I know what she's going through, afraid she's going to make a fool of herself in front of who knows how many people. I'll go talk her off her metaphorical ledge." Sam raised herself from her comfortable position lounging on Freddie's lap while they were watching Sherlock Holmes (the good one, with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr.) before Spencer went up to check on Carly.

She climbed the winding staircase to Carly's room, where she could hear the water pounding furiously against the white linoleum tiles of the shower floor and steam beginning to find its way into Carly's room through the crack underneath and above the bathroom door.

"Carly, are you a prune yet?" Sam shouted through the swirling steam.

"Not yet, but I'm getting there! Do you think that they'd still want a prune on stage, singing to a whole bunch of people?"

"Carly, you're going to do great. You have a wonderful voice, you know that. Remember when you sung to Gordon and Grody Jodi back in Wisconsin? You were awesome. Why is this making you spaz out now?"

"Because, Sam. It just is. Back in Wisconsin, there was nobody there that we knew personally. These people will likely be people we see every day. I don't know if I can do it. Nobody here has seen me sing before. They'll laugh at me, I know they will."

"If they laugh at you, they'll have to deal with the butter sock." Above the roar of the shower Sam could hear Carly's shaky laugh. The uncertain chuckles turned into high peals of laughter. Soon, the sound of the rushing water was completely obliviated by Sam and Carly's giggles.

As the raucous laughter subsided, so did the stream of water. Through the steamy fog Sam saw Carly's arm reach out from behind her shower curtain and grab her robe. Seconds later Carly emerged, robed up and holding her shower chair.

"All better, Shay?"

"All better, Puckett. I'm still nervous out of my mind, but I think I can do this."

"I _know_ you can do this, Carls. The day you mess up on that stage is the day Spencer actually goes back to law school."

Carly laughed and hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Sam. You're the best juvenile best friend almost-sister that a girl could ever ask for."

"Well shucks, Miss Shay. That done warmed the cockles of my heart, that did." Sam said in her best Southern Belle voice.

"Why you're welcome, Miss Puckett. Would you bestow upon me the honor of informing me as to which two songs you will be singing for those wonderful fans in two days' time, on the wonderful Independence Day?" Carly replied in an impressive imitation of Sam's tone.

"Nah, those are state secrets. Not even Frednub knows what I'm going to sing. If I let everyone know beforehand and let them listen to me practice all the time, I'm going to drive myself insane. But thanks though. What about you, what teenybopper pop song will you be crooning?"

"I think I'm going to take a leaf out of your book for once in my life. I'm not going to tell anyone until the day of."

Sam hugged Carly tight. "Aww, look at my little girl. You grow up so fast! First you're keeping secrets, then you're going to start telling little white lies and before you know it, we're going to be going shoplifting together!"

Sam flinched as Carly smacked her in the arm.

000

Sam paced back and forth across the makeshift stage in the mall outside Build-a-Bra, picking at her nails.

"Princess, are you okay?" That was one of the times that Sam was grateful that Freddie had gotten quite a bit taller than she was, because she was eye level with his chest at the perfect height to be on the receiving end of one of his near bone-crushing hugs.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just nerves. Mentally I know I'll do fine, even good, but physically? There are at least 500 people out there, and my body is nervous. It's weird. I don't like it."

"Sam, you're going to do wonderful. I promise. They have a pretty good sound technician back there so I'm going to be right in the front row, where you can see me. If you get too terribly nervous, just look out there and find me."

Sam pulled him closer to her, and lifted her face up to find his lips. Before they had been kissing for a minute, Carly walked up and slid her arm between the intertwined duo.

"Break it up, love birds. Sam, I'm going on first. Freddie and Spencer need to get out there for moral support." Even though Carly sounded calm and collected, confident even, Sam knew that beneath her facade she was just as nervous as Sam was.

Freddie and Spencer obeyed Carly's instructions and followed a burly security guard into the audience. They sat in two seats directly in the girls' line of sight, literally directly in front of the stage.

Sam turned away from the masses of fans sitting in the mall and faced her best friend, who out of the view of her brother and other best friend was now shaking slightly.

"Hey, Carly, relax. I know you can do this. If all else fails, know that it's only two songs. Go out there and imagine everyone naked."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

"Even Spencer?"

"Spencer is under the category of everyone, yes."

"Even Freddie?"

"...Okay, not everyone. Everyone but Freddie."

Carly laughed, gave Sam a huge hug, and then ran out on stage where some wannabe DJ was announcing her. The dude handed Carly a stool and a microphone. She sat delicately on the stool and crossed her knees at the ankle, and suddenly Sam knew exactly which song Carly would sing before she even opened her mouth.

"Suddenly I am in front of the lights.

Everything I'm feeling,

Scary and beautiful at the same time

And every day I try just to breathe,

I want to show the whole world

The truth inside of me.

Suddenly people know my name.

Suddenly everything has changed.

Suddenly I feel so alive.

In the blink of an eye,

My dreams begin to rain.

Suddenly time, feels like the wind.

It changes everywhere I go,

I'm just trying to fit in.

Now here I stand,

And I'm still just that girl.

I'm following my heart

In this amazing, crazy world.

Suddenly people know my name.

Suddenly everything has changed.

Suddenly I feel so alive.

In the blink of an eye,

Suddenly I am center stage.

Suddenly I am not afraid.

Suddenly I believe again

In a blink of an eye, it's happening now

As my dreams begin to rain.

I want to say, to love me for me.

What's inside

I'm gonna be positive, not run away, so much for you.

This is my life.

Suddenly I am center stage.

Suddenly I am not afraid.

Suddenly I believe again.

In the blink of an eye,

My dreams begin to rain."

The crowd jumped to their feet as Carly finished her last poignant note, applause and screams thundering over Sam's ears like the most violent storm. Freddie and Spencer were the loudest. Freddie actually had to forcibly restrain Spencer from jumping up on stage and hugging his sister. Carly took it all in stride, curtsying and waving to her fans before handing the wooden stool to a stagehand. The same stagehand also took her microphone, handing her a headset so Carly's hands would be free.

_She's going to dance,_ Sam thought. And again, Sam knew what song Carly was going to do even though Carly hadn't told her. They just knew each other that well. Sam wondered if their positions would be reversed in just a few short minutes, with Carly back here being able to guess what songs Sam would be about to perform seconds before she did them.

Wendy and another couple of girls that Sam didn't know the names of from a dance class that Carly took got up on stage with her, and Sam was sure of her guess. She had seen Carly practicing the moves in the iCarly studio fora recital about six months ago. Carly didn't know that Sam had seen her rehearsing, so she had no idea that Sam knew what song she was going to do.

"Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don't like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I know that you like me.

No way! No way!

I know it's not a secret.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I want to be your girlfriend!

You're so fine,

I want you mine,

You're so delicious.

I think about you all the time,

You're so addictive.

Don't you know what I could do to make you feel alright?

Don't pretend, I think you know I'm damn precious.

And hell yeah,

I'm the motherfucking princess.

I can tell you like me too, and you know I'm right.

She's like, so whatever.

You could do so much better.

I think we should get together now.

And that's what everyone's talking about!

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don't like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I know that you like me.

No way! No way!

I know it's not a secret.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I want to be your girlfriend!

I can see the way, I see the way you look at me.

And even when you look away, I know you think of me.

I know you talk about me all the time, again and again.

So come over here, tell me what I want to hear.

Better yet, make your girlfriend disappear.

I don't want to hear you say her name ever again!

She's like, so whatever.

You could do so much better.

I think we should get together now.

And that's what everyone's talking about!

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don't like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I know that you like me.

No way! No way!

You know it's not a secret.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I want to be your girlfriend.

In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger,

'Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better.

There's no other,

So when's it gonna sink in?

She's so stupid,

What the hell were you thinking?

In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger,

'Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better.

There's no other,

So when's it gonna sink in?

She's so stupid,

What the hell were you thinking?

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don't like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend.

No way! No way!

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I know that you like me.

No way! No way!

You know it's not a secret.

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I want to be your girlfriend.

No way! No way!

Hey! Hey!"

If Sam thought that the cheers for Carly's performance were loud before, they had nothing on how the audience was reacting now. The noise was ear-shattering. Sam would cover her ears, but that would mean that she couldn't applaud Carly's completely awesome performance. It was such an unusual choice for Carly, but with the influence of her best friends and brothers Carly had grown to say a few choice swear words. She was starting to shed her prissy image, bit by bit.

Carly ran off stage right into Sam's arms.

"Holy chiz, Sam! That was the most amazing feeling ever! They loved it, even the cussing! Ahhhhh!" Carly was jubilant.

"You did absotively posilutely amazing, Shay. Even I was impressed."

Sam didn't have a chance to compliment Carly more, because suddenly the DJ man was calling and gesturing her onto the stage. She ran out, excited at first. Sam grabbed the headset from the DJ and jammed it on her head earnestly.

She was ready to go, until she saw the crowd.

There they were, looking at her expectantly. She immediately felt rather foolish. How could she compare to Carly's performance? How could she follow that?

Just as Sam felt like she was going to run off the stage, she caught Freddie's gaze. He smiled at her, that crooked little smirk she loved so much, challenging her to stay on that stage and give these people the show of their lives.

_Challenge accepted, Benson._

Sam heard the opening guitar riff of her song, and opened her mouth to sing.

"She's a caged animal,

London by night,

Crashing lights and cymbals,

Queens of Twilight,

And if I was you,

I'd use the loo before the long drive.

We compliment each other

Just like Satan and Christ.

Baby, when I am laid to rest.

May my laughter remain

Like your kiss blew me away.

I see you spirit.

I gotta know right now.

I see you before me.

Won't you show me how?

I wear my hair frizzy,

I don't copy no style.

But kissin' and a scrubbin'

It has consequences.

You're on the bus again past Big Ben,

With your rip off Oyster card .

Tell your A.S.B.O. friend

To sling his hook and go make your girl smile.

Cause baby, when I am laid in earth,

May my laughter remain

Like your kiss blew me away.

Left your scent on my pillow,

Sister Rosetta was playin'

The congregation insane,

Drinkin' in the house with no name.

Capture the spirit!

I gotta know right now.

I see you before me.

And won't you show me how?

Cause I am the landlord.

You'll be my troubadour.

Better before me,

Won't you show me how, how?

You gotta capture the spirit!

Cause I gotta know right now!

I see you before me,

Won't you show me how?

I am the landlord,

And you'll be my troubadour.

Was it better before me?

You just don't know how!

Capture the spirit,

And let it all hang out!

I see you before me,

Darlin', show me now.

I am the landlord,

And you'll be my troubadour!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Won't you show me how, how?"

The crowd went wild. Sam's song was so unlike Carly's, but in the best way. While Carly's songs captured her essence, one a sweet ballad and the other a rebellious song highlighting her boy crazy ways, Sam's was more indie rock and showcased her free spirit.

Unlike Carly, Sam wasn't singing a ballad. They just weren't her. Oh yeah, she was going to sing a love song. It was her own shout-out to Freddie. But there's no way she would be caught dead sitting on a stool pouring her heart out to the audience. No freaking way. So she went with a more upbeat song, something that both represented how she felt about Freddie and how she felt about herself.

"The day I first met you,

You told me you'd never fall in love.

But now that I get you,

I know fear is what it really was.

Now here we are,

So close, yet so far.

How did I pass the test?

When will you realise

Baby, I'm not like the rest.

Don't wanna break your heart,

Wanna give your heart a break.

I know you're scared it's wrong,

Like you might make a mistake.

There's just one life to live,

And there's no time to wait, to waste.

So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break.

Oh yeah, yeah

On Sunday you went home alone.

There were tears in your eyes.

I called your cell phone, my love.

But you did not reply.

The world is ours if you want it,

We can take it if you just take my hand.

There's no turning back now.

Baby, try and understand.

Don't wanna break your heart,

Wanna give your heart a break.

I know you're scared it's wrong,

Like you might make a mistake.

There's just one life to live,

And there's no time to wait, to waste.

So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break.

There's just so much you can take,

Give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break,

Oh yeah, yeah

When your lips are on my lips,

And our hearts beat as one,

But you slip out of my fingertips,

Every time you run, whoa oh whoa oh oh!

Don't wanna break your heart,

Wanna give your heart a break.

I know you're scared it's wrong,

Like you might make a mistake.

There's just one life to live,

And there's no time to wait, to waste.

So let me give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break.

'Cause you've been hurt before,

I can see it in your eyes.

You try to smile it away, some things you can't disguise.

Don't wanna break your heart.

Baby, I can ease the ache, the ache.

So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break.

There's just so much you can take,

Give your heart a break.

Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break.

Oh babe

Oh yeah, yeah

The day I first met you,

You told me you'd never fall in love."

Everyone was silent again, but then the applause came down on Sam like rain. Carly ran out on stage and put Sam in the tightest hug she had ever received, shouting words of approval in Sam's ear. Between the audience and Carly's shrieks, Sam thought she'd go deaf.

"Ohmygosh, Sam! That was amazing! Like, I'm flabbergasted over here!"

Sam was enveloped into the arms of Freddie and Spencer as well, a giant group hug up on stage. Truthfully, Sam had never felt more at home.

**A/N: Hey, guys. Happy General Winter Holiday, since I don't know who celebrates what! The songs were, in order: 'Suddenly' by Ashley Tisdale, 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne, 'Sister Rosetta (2011 version)' by The Noisettes, and 'Give Your Heart a Break' by Demi Lovato. I tried to choose songs that both Sam and Carly themselves would listen too. Either way, I was incorporating 'Sister Rosetta' in because I LOVE that song.**

**Mike2101: Aww, thank you! It's nice to see a review from you that's complete compliments. Not that I don't avidly appreciate the criticism, because you are NEVER mean about it and it truly helps. But I like hearing that you like what I'm doing.**

**LyshaLuvsSeddie: Right? I would love to hear Sam sing on the show. It would blow my mind.**

**Arocksprpl2, Seddielove, notsodamneasy, DannySamLover20, SpaghEDDIEtacos: Thank you so much, you all! Really, I love all of your reviews. :D**

**g: I feel the exact same way. The very first fanfic I ever read got me hooked on Relient K, and I've loved them ever since. That was like 3 years ago too...**

**.epic.73: That ravished line was my favorite line in the whole chapter. I use it so often in real life :) Someone IS planning ahead...bwahahahahah. I understand how you feel about the whole exams thing, because so often I have to come on my laptop to either write these or do something important for school and I find myself getting sucked into a really good fanfic.**

**Review, or Santa (aka my parents) will take back all my awesome Christmas presents I got this morning and leave me with only a Justin Bieber and the butter sock (wait...that might not be so bad). Anyway, as a special holiday present to me, review!**


	20. Twists and Turns, A Winding Road

**So, yeah. It's about 11:30 at night right now and I figure that I should probably write. I'm not even going to lie, people. I seriously lost my mojo there for a little while. But today I saw a few episodes of iCarly and got it back. Hence, me writing. **

**Guys, this is Chapter 20. Let it be known that I have NEVER lasted this long on a fanfic before, and there's still a loooooooooong time to go before I'm done with iCHTA because I plan to follow this baby beyond their graduation and whatnot. :D**

Things had calmed down since the promotional gig, as much as things could ever be calm in their respective lives. Mrs. Benson and Gunsmoke had returned, and Mrs. Benson was delightfully surprised to see everyone (including Sam) not in prison. Today was Independence Day, and everyone was doing their part to make that nights' iCarly the best ever. The city had cleared them for launching Bernie's special fireworks, they were broadcasting from the rooftop, and it seemed as if everything was going to go swimmingly.

"Carls?" Per usual, Sam and Carly were lounging around in her room. Carly was laying on her bed, toying with her PearPad. Sam had been fishing in Carly's coffee table until a question flew across her brain and once Sam got something into her head, it was pretty much guaranteed that it would be said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot."

"Why did you pick those songs the other day? Well, not 'Girlfriend'. I know why you chose that one, you had a built-in routine and peppy songs like that are always crowd pleasers. But the other one, the one about being suddenly in the spotlight? Why that one?"

Carly placed her PearPad down on her bedside table and pulled herself up into a sitting position, clutching a pillow to her chest. "I'm not really sure. It's just, that song kind of stuck with me. It came up on my Pandora playlist one day when I was doing my homework and caught my attention. When she's singing about going from being nobody to being somebody, having all of her dreams suddenly coming true, it's kind of like the position we're in now. I know that this time next year I could put the fact that I'm in iCarly on a college application and it will really help me get into a great school, which is also something that can work for you. So when Mr. Reichner tols us to come up with a few performance options, that song was the first thing to come to mind."

"Oh." While Sam understood where Carly was coming from, she had unintentionally touched a sore subject.

College.

Sam had never thought of herself as someone who would further her education. Hell, most days it was her dream to get kicked out of class so she could take a nap in Principal Franklin's office. But this year, with Freddie and all, Sam started to realize that maybe she could do something awesome with her life. Melanie wasn't the only Puckett who could make something of herself. Sure, she would probably never do what Melanie was planninf to do and become a real estate agent with a nice but bland husband and two point five adorable kids in a house with a yard and a dog and a white picket fence, but she could still be successful. Carly and Freddie had opened her eyes to the possibility of becoming a kick-ass gourmet chef one day while they were all making spaghetti tacos. The idea was rather enticing. And Sam didn't really want to be left here alone with her mother while Carly and Freddie were off doing something with their lives...

"Well now I'm going to flip it back over to you: why did you do 'Sister Rosetta' and "Give Your Heart A Break'?" Carly queried, grinning in anticipation. "

"Kind of the same reasons you chose yours. 'Sister Rosetta' is just an amazing song and I love it. But 'Give Your Heart A Break' was my shout-out to Freddie, I guess. The parts where she wrote about not wanting to hurt him, that was for Freddie. The parts where it talked about never really wanting to be in love, but a dude changing that, that was for me. It's still hard to believe that the nub is mine, if you can understand me there."

"I think I can understand where you're coming from. But in all honesty, you two are perfect for each other, like Mario and Luigi."

"Did you just compare me and Benson to two Mexican/Japanese adventurer brothers?"

"...Maybe."

"Shay, you're messed up. Now come on, we've got to do the show in an hour and I know that you aren't going to let me go in front of that camera without being all pretty-fied since tonight is our special 4th of July webisode and all." Sam was right. Carly spent most of the hour making Sam look almost heartbreakingly beautiful. Her hair was curled to perfection, not that it usually needed it. Carly had forced her into a white eyelet lace halter sundress that stopped a few inches above the knee, paired with a pair of Carly's favored heels. Carly had worked some freaky girly magic with her eyes and now they were rimmed with a charcoal liner and shimmery brown eyeshadow, making the various shades of blue sparkle like the ocean on a sunny day.

It was all Sam could do to escape when Carly neared her with a bottle of bright purple nail polish and a pair of tights.

"No. Nuh-uh. Not a chance, Shay. It's way too hot out there for pantyhose, and you know that I'm only going to bite off my nails anyway, so what's the point in painting them?" Sam said, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at the offending tools of beauty.

Carly sighed, defeated. "Fine. But just stay here for a sec, I need to go downstairs and get my straightener from Spencer. Can you get the back of my head? I can never reach this one spot."

"Wait, what? Why does Spencer have your straightener?"

"Because he's convinced that the girl at Skin Deep has a crush on him and he's scared that if he walks up to the register and buys a hair straightener, she's going to think that he doesn't play for her team. So he's been jacking mine."

Sam chuckled. "Only Spencer."

"Only Spencer." Carly agreed. She left the room, letting Freddie in on her way out.

Sam didn't see Freddie come in, but she sure as heck heard him when he dropped his phone on the floor once he caught sight of her.

Whatever Carly had done to her was magical. Her normally curly hair now had a bounce and shine that it usually lacked due to Sam's penchance for laziness in the shower. She had on this white dress that did wonders for the tan color of her skin and made her hair look like a golden halo.

But her eyes, her eyes were the most striking part. They peeked out from behind blonde strands of hair like two sapphire lighthouse beams, calling him home.

Only one thought resonated within Freddie's brain: Sam was beyond beautiful, and Freddie didn't deserve someone as fiery and amazing as her.

Sam watched as her boyfriend gave her a once-over and laughed, but her laughter died on her lips as she saw the awe in his eyes be replaced with apprehension, and then sad resignation.

"Nub? What's wrong? We have a show to do in less than ten minutes, this is no time for unhappy nerds." Instead of making him smirk or chuckle, like Sam's meaningless insults usually did, now they only deepened the wrinkle between his eyebrows.

Frowning, Sam nudged him into a sitting position on Carly's bed. She placed herself down sideways on Freddie's lap and hooked her arms around his neck, turning his head and forcing his eyes to meet hers. "Babe. Either tell me what's wrong or lose a few vital body parts."

Freddie sighed. "It's just...I don't know. I just feel sometimes that you and I don't make sense as a couple, because you're all beautiful and I'm an A/V nerd. We shouldn't even work, but we do. And I just feel confused some of the time, like I don't deserve you."

Instead of consoling him, like he had expected Sam to do, she burst out in giggles. The chuckles turned into body-shaking peals of laughter as Sam caught Freddie's bewildered expression, her jolting body causing her to slip off Freddie's laugh and fall to the floor. She jumped off the floor and catapulted herself back in Freddie's lap, peppering his face with kisses.

"You-insecure-idiot-how-many-times-do-I-have-to-tell-you-that-I-love-you?" berated Sam inbetween each kiss. "Now come on. We have a webshow to do in a few minutes and Carly can't do it all by herself. We're kind of important too, you know."

Freddie immediately halted in his tracks, which had previously been following his girlfriend out of Carly's room. "Sam?"

"What? Didn't you just hear me? We have to get going!"

"Sam, you just said I was important to the show." Freddie said, beaming.

"Huh. I guess I did."

"And you didn't give me a wedgie this time, either."

"Huh. Guess I didn't." Sam shrugged. Freddie closed the three-step distance between himand Sam and wrapped his arms around her in a bone-crushing bear hug. He thought he was in the clear and was about to pull away (but hey, who could blame him for wanting a longer-than-normal hug with a beautiful girl that was all his?) when he felt Sam's tiny but strong hands sneak just under his belt and yank his boxer briefs up to uncomfortable heights.

"Sam!"

"Keeping you on your toes, Benson. Someone has to remind you who wears the pants in this relationship."

Twenty-five minutes later, iCarly was in full swing. Carly and Gibby were introducing a game of What Am I Licking when the roof door opened and Spencer walked towards them, followed by two uniformed police officers. Spencer gestured for Sam to come over, seeing that the camera was occupied by Gibby licking a bundle of radishes.

"What's up, Spence? What's with the feds? I swear, I haven't done anything illegal in months."

"We know, Sam. This isn't about anything that you've done. Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but..."

"You are Miss Samantha Joy Puckett, daughter of Pamela Puckett?" Cop Number One asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Oh god, did my mom indecently expose herself again? I'm so sorry, dudes. If you just give me enough time to finish this webcast, I'll be down at the station with some coffe and a decent outfit for my mom-"

"Miss Puckett-"

"Sam. Don't call me Miss Puckett, I'm not a kindergarten teacher."

"Miss Puckett, your mother has been involved in an accident. She's in intensive care in Seattle Memorial Hospital."

Freddie barely made it to Sam in time to catch her body before she hit the ground.

**To Geekquality, Arocksprl2, DannySamLover20, Daisy215: Thanks, guys. Supremely. Your reviews warm the cockles of my heart. :D**

**To renzooboi: Your review was...interesting. Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but I think something got lost in translation maybe? All I got was a bunch of letters and a repetitive sequence of 3s. I'm hoping that maybe the awesomeness of the chapter turned your brain to mush or something, that way I don't feel as silly for not being able to comprehend it...**

**To SeDdIeLuVeR13: Really? You packed this thing away in three hours? I'm simutaneously astonished and incredibly flattered that you would take three hours out of your life to read my story. And it's wonderful to hear that you love it :)**

**Okay, people. How about we make a deal; This being the 20th chapter and all, how about we have a super review extravaganza? I'll chill off on asking for reviews until the 40th chapter rolls around if you as my loving readers just drop me a line down there, in honor of Chapter 20.**


	21. Keep Holding On

**Updating a little faster than usual, I hope. Blame my immune system; I'm home sick for the second Monday in a row. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, people :)**

**Here's Chapter 21!**

Sam woke up very groggily, the faces of Carly, Freddie and Gibby looking at her with concern. Just as she was about to tell them to back up off her chiz, the events leading her to laying on Freddie's lap in Spencer's car came back to her like a wrecking ball.

The webshow.

The cops.

Her mom, in an accident.

"Why aren't we at the hospital? For all I know, my mom could be dead and I'm not with her!" Sam screamed, shoving herself into a sitting position on Freddie's lap.

Freddie pulled Sam into a comforting hug and rested her head on his shoulder. "Sammie, I know this is terrible on you, but we're literally doing everything we can. You've only been out for five minutes at the most. Seattle Memorial is fifteen minutes away from Bushwell on a good day, but there was some sort of freak accident on the roads so traffic is bumper-to-bumper. We will get you there." From her position on Freddie's lap with her head resting against his neck, Sam felt the soothing sensation of Gibby's hands rubbing her back in the most non-creepy way possible.

What would normally be a fifteen minute trip turned into a forty-five minute stop-and-go ride to Seattle Memorial Hospital. As soon as Spencer had put the car in a parking place close the the emergency room doors Sam was out of the car, not even bothering to wait for Spencer to turn it off. Freddie, Carly and Gibby followed. None of them trusted Sam to keep her head when the status of her mother's life was unknown.

Gibby and Freddie may have been stronger, and Freddie may have been Sam's boyfriend, but Carly was faster and she had known Sam nearly all of her life. She even remembered back when they had first become friends.

After the infamous sandwich incident, Carly had had a few playdates at Sam's house. It was back before Sam's dad had bailed on Sam, Melanie and Pam. Back then, things were more normal. The house was still crazy and eccentric, with playful violence being encouraged, but it was plain to see that the Pucketts loved and cared for one another. Pam had even become somewhat of a mother figure to Carly. But then Sam's dad left, and Pam just sort of stopped caring. It was actually insanely sad to watch. As weird as the Puckett family was, Pam and Sam's dad obviously loved each other and to see Pam lose herself after he left was unsettling. It was also the reason why Carly almost crashed into Sam at the ER registration desk at the hospital. The power of romantic love or basic friendship had nothing on the power of knowing that someone you had been best friends with your whole life was suffering, and someone that they cared about was in trouble.

Carly saw Sam attempt to talk to the nurse at the registration desk, but no words would come out of the blonde's mouth.

"We're here to see a Mrs. Puckett, please. This is her daughter, Sam." The nurse acknowledged the group and its' members (Freddie, Gibby and Spencer had finally caught up with them) and typed something into the database on her computer. After a minute of typing and cross-referencing, the nurse looked up at the eclectic group with a kind smile on her face. "Room 315, Mannheim wing. Only two visitors at a time, though."

Carly turned to Freddie, confused. "The Mannheim wing?"

Freddie visibly paled. "It's the ICU." He stepped closer to the desk, politely nudging Carly aside so he could talk to the nurse. "Hello, my name is Freddie Benson, I'm Marissa Benson's son? I know she's on duty now, is there any way we could talk to her for just a moment?"

The kind nurse nodded, and called another nurse with light blue scrubs over. "Katelyn, if you could go get Marissa for me, that would be wonderful."

Spencer lead the motley crew over to the chairs in the waiting area, where they waited for Freddie's mom to see them. It was less than a minute later when the nurse named Katelyn emerged with Mrs. Benson. At the sight of her blue scrubs and sensible brown bob, everyone jumped up.

"Mom, what's the status on Pam Puckett? All we know is that she's been in an accident. The police didn't even tell us what kind of accident it was..." Freddie's voice trailed off, hoping his mother would have some knowledge to assuage Sam's fears.

Marissa Benson sighed and looked at the young blonde currently holding the hands of both Carly and her beloved son. She really was the spitting image of her mother. As much as she wanted to despise the young Puckett girl, she just couldn't. Marissa could tell that Samantha loved her son, as she should. You would have to be a fool to not love her wonderful son. And someone who loved her Freddie should not have to endure what this girl was going to have to deal with. "I'm afraid it doesn't look good. Apparently Mrs. Puckett was drinking and driving, and she drove into a telephone pole. Something was wrong with the airbags and they didn't deploy. She has a fractured skull, a deflated lung and she's bleeding into her brain, not to mention apparent alcohol poisoning. I'm so sorry, Samantha, but we don't think she's going to make it."

Freddie, Carly, Gibby and Spencer were floored. They had no idea that the situation was this bad. Sam, on the other hand, was fearful to the point of desperation. "Can I see her? Now?"

Marissa nodded her head towards the set of double doors that she had come through. "This way. Just this once, all of you can come with me. But only because this is an emergency situation, and I don't think Samantha can handle it without all of your support."

Sam didn't even protest when Mrs. Benson called her Samantha, she just grasped Freddie and Carly's hands tighter and followed Freddie's mom through the hospital.

There was nothing in the woman lying on the hospital bed that would indicate that she was Pam Puckett. The short blonde hair was matted with blood. Her eyes-Sam's eyes-were closed. Pam's skin was bruised in most places, and where it wasn't bruised, it was almost terrifyingly pale. There were various tubes and needles poking everywhere. The respirator was beeping erratically, only emphasizing what Mrs. Benson had said about Pam's fragile state.

Sam raced to Pam's bedside and began stroking the top of her mother's head, oblivious of the blood that was staining her fingertips. "Mom? Mom, I love you, okay? Please don't leave me." Sam pressed her lips lightly to Pam's forehead.

The second Sam's lips touched Pam, the respirator machine went wild. The group was shoved out of the way by a team of nurses and doctors. Marissa gestured at Freddie to get Sam and the rest of them out of the room, and he obliged. From their new position in the hallway outside of Pam's hospital room, Sam and the others could see the doctors and nurses working frantically over Pam with a defibrillator. After five minutes, they all backed off.

One of the nurses looked over to the clock on the wall and even through the general ruckus of the hospital, Sam and the others heard every word she said clearly.

"Time of death, 6:45 p.m."

Sam slumped against Freddie in the hall, unable to gather the strength required to make an effort.

Her mother was_ gone_, just like that. Pam may not have been much of a mother at times, but she was the only one that Sam had. And now she was gone.

"Samantha?" Sam lifted her head up to see Richard Weinstein, her and her mother's attorney, approaching her. "Samantha, I'm so sorry about Pam. I just got the message. How is she doing."

"She's gone, Rick. She's gone."

Rick looked flabbergasted. Sam was sure that through all of her mother's shenanigans and boyfriends, she never realized the pure gem that was Rick Weinstein. Rick was one of those men that didn't realize a woman liked him unless they said it outright, so Sam was thankful that her mother never developed feelings for Rick. She would have torn his heart to pieces, and Rick was one of the men in her life that she held no animosity against. The others were Spencer, Freddie and Principal Franklin.

"Well, Sam, that makes things both easier and more difficult. Pam had a will and life insurance, so that part is covered. Where is it..." Rick rummaged around in his briefcase momentarily until he emerged holding a manila folder. "Here it is. If you would do me a huge favor, all of you, and follow me? I had to work through lunch and this place actually makes a pretty decent cream of broccoli soup."

When they got down to the cafeteria, Rick grabbed a turkey sandwich and a bowl of his aforementioned cream of broccoli soup and led them to a large table near a window. "Samantha, the contents of your mothers' will and her life insurance policy are in this folder. Pam's will clearly states that you and Melanie get the house and whatever other assets she has to her name. Unfortunately, due to her amounts of debt, the bank will repossess the house. They have every right to, we have no chance of protesting that. You and Melanie are, however, the new owner's of your mother's car and the contents of her bank account will be split between the two of you. Pam's life insurance will cash in at roughly $50,000, so her funeral or whatever you decide will be covered financially with the remainder of the funds being split between you and Melanie's respective bank accounts. Then there is the matter of your placement."

Sam raised her eyebrows at this.

"Sam, you are still underage. In her will, Pam has stated that, should he be willing, Spencer Shay would assume custody of you and Melanie. Melanie will not be a burden, as she spends the majority of her time between boarding school and your grandmother's house. She will more likely than not choose to reside with your grandmother instead and just not intrude on Spencer. She doesn't have quite the same relationship with him that you do."

Sam looked over at Spencer's unsurprised face. "You knew about this." It was more statement than fact. Sam didn't have the life in her to act shocked anymore.

"Yeah. Your mom came to me a year or so back and asked me." Spencer said, reaching over to put his arm around Sam's shoulder. "You're always at our place anyway, have been for years. You've basically been a Shay for years."

Sam glanced over at her friends, the members of her extended family. There was nothing in her that was okay at that moment, but looking at the faces of her friends and family (and Rick), she knew she would be alright in the end.

000

"Hey, Sam."

It had been three weeks since the death of Pam Puckett, and Sam was coping in her own way. Freddie, Spencer, Carly, Gibby, and Mrs. Benson all would have readily admitted that they thought that Sam's method of coping would involve extreme violence and eating like there was no tomorrow.

Instead, Sam had surprised them. Most days, she stayed in the bed that Spencer had put in Carly's room for her. Carly and Spencer had offered to turn one of the apartments' extra rooms into a bedroom for her, but she opted for just helping rearrange Carly's bedroom furniture and staying in there with Carly. Sam just didn't want to be alone. She really only got out of bed to shower or go downstairs for food.

Freddie and Carly were always there, being the ever-vigilant supportive boyfriend and best friend. For those first few days, Sam wouldn't even move from her self-induced fetal position between her sheets. But they persisted, bringing over Sam's favorite movies and fat cakes and bacon and staying with her, watching terribly cheesy movies from the eighties that they really should have hated but couldn't help loving. Sam cracked her first smile in over a week the day that Freddie brought her a fat shake and his copy of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Carly didn't quite understand the look the couple shared when the Transylvanians started doing the Time Warp, but she figured that it was one of those couple inside jokes and she was better off not knowing.

On day thirteen, Sam brought down her comforter and the T-Rex Squishable that Carly had gotten her as a Christmas present the past winter and set up camp on the sofa. Spencer and Freddie, who had been sitting on the couch watching Celebrities Underwater, looked up as they heard Sam's sock feet softly descending the stairs and saw her in all of her glory; messy blonde curls swept up into a bun on the top of her head, wearing one of Freddie's old penny tees and a pair of Ridgeway sweats, purple comforter wrapped around her shoulders and the T-Rex (lovingly named Godzilla) cradled in her arms.

Freddie knew it might get his thumbs ripped off if he said it aloud in Sam's condition, but he couldn't help but think that Vulnerable Sam was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Instead of saying something he'd regret later, Freddie shifted on the couch so there was enough space between him and Spencer for the grieving blonde. Sam crossed the room and burrowed herself in her blanket between her two favorite men in the world. Freddie grabbed Sam's hand, intertwining their fingers while Spencer reached out and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. When Carly returned with four smoothies (an extra-large Strawberry Splat for Sam) she joined them, sitting criss-cross applesauce and leaning against Sam's legs.

"Thanks, guys." Sam didn't specify what her thank you was for. To an outsider, she merely could have been thanking them for her smoothie. But they all knew. It was Sam giving her thanks for being there for her and not letting her be alone in her mourning time, without getiing all mushy and emotional like they knew she hated.

**To SeDdIeLuVeR13, Arocksprpl2, Geekquality, AllyJackson, hpfreak1213, LyshaLuvsSeddie, reader, Mish, DannySamLover20, Maddiee: Thank you so much, all of you! I hope this satisfies your cliffy rage :)**

**Please review? For me and my sickly self?**


	22. The Proverbial New Leaf

**So my internet connection is being a jerk...guess I'll start writing now instead of drowning myself in Harry Potter fanfiction :) Here's Chapter 22, everyone!**

The rest of the summer flew by in a haze of iCarly episodes and activities for Sam. After the death of her mother and her initial mourning period, her friends had tried to keep her occupied so that she wouldn't sink into the terrifying funk she had gone into right after Pam had died. They had gone to amusement parks, the beach, the Washington State Fair, you name it. The gang had even forayed into Canada so Sam could visit the Fat Cake factory.

But September was rapidly approaching, so Carly took initiative the week before school started and took Freddie and Sam with her to purchase school supplies. When they got to the store, Carly and Freddie automatically whipped out their organized, color-coded lists of supplies.

What they weren't expecting was for Sam to pull out a list of her own.

"Sam, is that your hit list again? I told you, we aren't going to buy a mega-powerful Assassin paintball gun so you can say it was a paintball game gone horribly wrong." Carly said, taking the paper from Sam's grip. Her eyes scanned the list, and her jaw dropped:

7 binders  
>7 notebooks<br>Pens  
>Pencils (mechanical)<br>Colored pencils  
>Highlighters<br>Graph paper  
>7-pocket accordion folder<br>New backpack  
>Loose-leaf paper<br>Dividers

"Carly, what is it? Who's at the top this time? Is it still Nevel?" Freddie said, laughing at Carly's shocked expression.

"This isn't Sam's annual hit list, Freddie. It's a list of...school supplies."

Freddie's face soon matched Carly's for shock and awe. Sam felt their twin gazes of amazement on her and dragged them down an emtpy aisle.

She could understand why they were so befuddled by the fact that she had actually prepared for school this year. In the years previous, Sam's method of school shopping usually meant borrowing materials from Carly, Freddie or Gibby for the first few months of school and then only getting for herself what was absolutely necessary. It was the Sam Puckett way.

But this year, this year was going to be different. At her mother's funeral, Sam had heard whispers from a lot of people saying about how Sam was inevitably going to turn into even more of an angry delinquent than she already was, and wasn't it a shame that only one of Pam's two gorgeous daughters was ever going to make something of herself? Sam had hated that. Just because she'd had some trouble with the law before didn't mean that she would be that way her whole life. Sam hadn't even had the slightest bit of legal trouble since she had started dating Freddie. That look of disappointment he and Carly gave her whenever they had to pick her up from the police station had gotten unbearable.

Sam was determined to prove those good-for-nothing gossipers at her mother's funeral wrong. She would make something of herself, whether they liked it or not. And unfortunately, reshaping her whole outlook on life started with school.

"Look, guys. I'm sick and tired of everyone expecting me to become this leech for the rest of my life. I want to do something good, like what you two are going to grow up and do. I don't want to spend my life known as "That chick from iCarly who never did anything decent". You two helped me pull decent grades last year with that tutoring chiz, so I thought I could do what reformed criminals and celebrities with scandals do. You know, start fresh. Plus, I want to see the look on Mrs. Briggs' face when I answer a question right in her class." Sam declared, holding onto Freddie's hand for support while she made her speech.

"Oh, Sam! I knew this day would come! Gibby and Spencer owe me twenty bucks." Carly said, pulling Sam into a bone-crushing hug.

"Wait, what? You made a bet with Gibson and Spence about my educational future?"

"Kind of, yeah. But I had faith in you! I knew you would wisen up and get your act together before it was too late!" Carly knew well enough to look properly ashamed at being busted for wagering on her best friend's academic career.

Sam turned her gaze onto her boyfriend. "Were you in on this too? How much does everyone owe you?"

"For that bet? Nothing. Carly, however, does owe me twenty bucks. I always believed in you, even before we got together and this bet has been going on for three years. But I told Carly you wouldn't be happy when you found out about it, and I was right. So pay up, Shay." Freddie said, grinning from ear to ear. Carly grumbled something unintelligibly about 'stupid, loving couples always knowing what the other person is going to do' and handed Freddie a twenty dollar bill.

"Here. Take your stupid money. I'm getting it all back from Gibby and Spence anyway." Carly said, still glaring at the couple whose hands were intertwined. "Can we just get our stuff and go?"

Getting their stuff and going wound up taking around three hours. By the time they got back to Bushwell, the three teens were exhausted. Lewbert pitched a fit when he saw the gang with their many bags in his lobby.

"No school materials in my lobby!" He screamed fruitlessly at them.

Spencer's eyes widened when he say the three ladened down with school supplies. "Whoa. Even Sam got stuff? Sam never gets stuff. It's not November yet." Spencer crossed the room and lifted his hand to Sam's forehead. "Are you sick? Did you lick another swingset? Did you drink any happy juice from a hobo?"

Sam swatted her non-biological big brother's hand away. "No, you goof. I'm fine. But you know me; I have to keep you nubs on your toes and what better way to do that then to turn over a new leaf?"

The eldest Shay sibling squinted at the blonde. "Crap." He rummaged into his wallet and handed his baby sister twenty dollars. "You win this time, Carlotta."

Freddie said his goodbyes to the Shay siblings and kissed Sam briefly, retreating to his own apartment so his mother could do the yearly round of disinfectant on his newly purchased school things. He always tried to insist that it wasn't necessary, but Mrs. Benson believed that anything that other people had routinely touched would bring dangerous germs into her household. The fact that she had seen Contagion a few days previous hadn't made anything better. Freddie still cursed Gunsmoke for letting his mother watch that. Did the man have a death wish?

Back at the Shays', Carly had taken it upon herself to sort all of the supplies out and get them prepared for school. Sam had taken one look at Carly spreading everything around on the living room floor and retreated to the kitchen, getting all the materials needed for a bacon, turkey and swiss sandwich.

"You want one, Carls?"

"Depends on what you're offering. This might take a while, and I don't want to have to stop for food."

"A BTS. That sound good to you?"

"Sure. Can you bring me a glass of lemonade while you're at it?"

"Now do you mean actual delicious lemonade or your toxic wasteland in a pitcher?"

Carly laughed. "You guys really need to stop hating on my lemonade. Just because it has hot sauce in it, that doesn't make it any less tasty."

"Um, can you direct me to the planet you were grown on? Because I'm pretty sure that anything that combines lemons, water, sugar, hot sauce, pancake syrup and whatever other infernal things you mix together absolutely make it less tasty. Even I won't eat it, and that's saying something." Sam walked back into the living room, sandwiches in one hand and glasses of lemonade-the good stuff, not the horror in a glass that Carly made-in the other. Carly had already made headway organizing the binders and folders and such according to which were Sam's and which were Carly's, and had commenced with putting it all together. She took a break from putting some loose-leaf paper into one of Sam's binders to take a huge bite of her sandwich; one of those bites that took half the sandwich, one that was perfectly acceptable around people you'd known your whole life but that was unthought of around company.

"So I didn't want to bring this up around Freddie because I don't want to torture him like we did last summer, but when do you want to go clothes shopping? If we don't get there before icky Tasha and her cronies do, all the good stuff will be cleared out and we'll have to spend yet another year watching them wear the clothes that were rightfully ours." Carly said, still rifling through the various items on the living room floor inbetween bites of food.

"Whenever you want to. It doesn't really matter to me. But I need food, and I want Carlos there." Sam was referring to their friend Carlos Reyes, the wonderfully gay man who lived exactly two floors beneath them. Carlos was the person they went to whenever they were having fashion problems or boy problems that they couldn't talk to anybody else about without feeling foolish.

"Already done. I called Carlos yesterday and he said he'd be free Wednesday. That cuts it a little close, but usually Tasha and her clone drones don't hit the mall until Friday morning."

"Awesome." Sam smiled.

The days came and went, and Wednesday morning found Sam, Carly and Carlos at the mall.

"Alright, girls. We need a battle plan. Sam, Carly says you've turned over the proverbial new leaf. Does that apply to your clothes too? Because girl, let me tell you something. I know girls who would kill for your body and guys who would kill to touch your body and I have just been itching to show it off." Carlos said, smiling at Sam's shocked face. "Oh, please. Don't act so modest. You may eat like a trucker, but you have the body of a model and it's a shame that you hide it under all those layered shirts and Bermuda shorts. I know that Freddie loves you as you are, Gaga bless his soul, but I don't think he'd mind too much if you embraced your womanliness."

At Carlos' words, Carly burst out laughing. "Womanliness? I don't think that's a word."

"I'm making it up. It's a word now. Get over it, Shay."

"Yessir! Or ma'am. Which do you prefer?" Carly's salute toward Carlos in combination of her words caused Sam to snicker.

"Neither. You must refer to me only as 'Your Almighy Fabulousness' and nothing else."

"Aye-aye, Your Almighty Fabulousness!" The girls chorused.

"Good! Off we go, on a quest for the finest clothes to robe the two fairest maidens in the land!" Carlous put on an obviously fake but still very impressive British accent, and the girls laughed.

Two hours and just under twenty stores later, Sam was exhausted and demanded a nourishment break. As she was sipping her Fat Shake, she marveled at the efficiency Carlos and Carly shopped when they put their brains together. They had outfitted Sam in an almost entirely new wardrobe. The shocking part was that she hadn't completely hated it. The only part that Sam truly disliked was constantly being shoved into this dressing room or that dressing room to try something on, only to have Carlos or Carly deem it an ill fit and repeat the process all over again. They had even convinced her to buy a few dresses, although Sam had drawn the line when she had seen Carly approach her with heels. If she was going to wear a dress in front of people, she needed to be able to maintain her badassery somehow. So Sam enforced a new rule: If she couldn't wear her Chucks with it, she wouldn't wear it. The other two had conceded, but only if Sam would trade in her ratty old shoes for a newer pair.

Carly had gotten herself things too, whilst shopping for her blonde friend. While Sam was starting completely new, Carly didn't feel she was that brave yet. But she was admittedly sick of all that she put into her appearance. Despite what people might have thought, Carly was actually pretty underneath her shiny brown hair and eyes. Plus, waking up at four in the morning every day just to start an unnecessary beauty routine was tiring, and only added to the amount of makeup she needed to apply to cover the under-eye circles. So this year, she would take a page out of Sam's book and let her natural beauty shine through. No more dealing with the hassles of excessive primpery.

000

The morning of the first day of junior year came faster than Sam wanted it to. It seemed like her 6:30 alarm was blaring simply to annoy her. She had half a mind to throw it at the wall and put herself out of her misery, but she remembered her internal promise to herself to be something better than what people expected her to be.

Plus, she was pretty sure that someone was cooking bacon and sleep be damned if anyone downstairs thought that they were getting the first piece before her.

"Do you think it'll work?" Sam heard Carly ask from the kitchen as she descended the stairs, still in her pajamas.

"Carly, it's Sam and bacon. I bet she's already on her way down." Freddie's voice floated up to Sam.

"You're right. What do you win?" Sam said, entering the kitchen and grabbing a piece of bacon from the plate next to the stove.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the glory of knowing that you're up before eight on a school day, the first day of school no less?" Freddie said. He waited patiently for Sam to finish her first piece of bacon before bending over to kiss her. Sam ignored her morning/bacon breath and leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Freddie's waist.

Freddie's hands linked together and rested on the small of Sam's back, pulling her closer into him.

"Hey! None of that!" Carly shouted. Seeing that the happy couple was ignoring her, Carly whipped out her spray bottle conveniently kept in the fridge and sprayed the two teens with the ice-cold water.

It was effective. Freddie and Sam jumped apart like they'd been electrocuted.

"No sucking face in the kitchen! People have to eat in here. I haven't even had any coffee yet!"

"Sorry." Sam and Freddie mumbled their apologies. Freddie went back to finishing cooking breakfast and Sam grabbed another piece of bacon.

"Sam, you can have the shower first. I need coffee time." Carly said, holding her cup of coffee to her face like she was Rose and it was the only door left in the sea. Sam nodded, her mouth full of bacon. She grabbed another piece, pressed her lips (through much straining and tiptoe standing, eventually just grabbing his face and pulling it down to her height level) to Freddie's forehead and bounded upstairs to Carly's shower. Sure, she could have used another one but she liked Carly's the best. It felt homier.

An hour and a half later, Sam, Carly and Freddie were sitting in first period Chemistry. Sam was actually managing to stay awake, although that might have been due to the fact that both Freddie and Carly were supplying her with a constant stream of bacon.

When the teacher called her name for roll, he seemed flabbergasted when Sam said "Here." instead of Carly just telling him that Sam was there, just asleep. That pattern would be repeated throughout the day, along with the looks of shock her teachers gave Sam when she took notes or wrote down that nights' homework. Mrs. Briggs had actually had the nerve to check to see if it was really Sam, and not just Melanie impersonating Sam. She got her answer when, after insinuating that Sam was a good-for-nothing delinquent, Sam called her a fizzy-wazz skunkbag.

No, it wasn't her best insult. But cut her some slack, she was trying to change a little bit. Sam didn't think getting suspended on her first day back by rudely insulting a teacher would bode well for her non-delinquency.

**There you go! I tried to make it nice and long for you, set you up for some MAJOR plot bunnies coming your way. Oh, and for my younger readers? It won't happen just yet, because at this point in my story everyone is around 16, but the rating will go up eventually as Sam and Freddie reach the hormonal teenager, we-can't-keep-our-hands-off-each-other stage. I do want this to be realistic, after all. Eventually, Sam and Freddie will get it on.**

**To .epic.73, Mike2101, AllyJackson, LyshaLuvsSeddie, Arocksprpl2, DannySamLover20, Mish, Geekquality, Ryfthhrtyvhrtgv: Aww, thank you so much! I'm glad you like the way I wrote out Pam's death and Sam's transition from that. Sam just doesn't seem like the type to go crazy with grief, she seems more like the typr to grieve properly and then try to keep going with her life.**

**To AlmostAuthor: I'm pretty sure that your review made my YEAR. It was so sweet and kind while also adding constructive criticism, which I dearly appreciate. There are some things that I have took and will take into appreciation, but others that I won't, just because I like how they fit in with the plot line and I can see what's going to occur down the road. I've never heard of Tick's Journal of Curious Letters, I will have to look that up. I understand what you mean about loving to read; my mom taught me my letters and such when I was a baby and I was reading small words when I was 18 months old. Yes, I'm freakily smart. No, I don't usually advertise it. I've actually never read a Hunger Games fic, which is odd considering how much I LOVE the series and cannot wait for the movie to come out March 23rd despite all of the irritating bandwagon fans that will no doubt accompany it, just like with Harry Potter and Twilight (even though I detest Twilight with ever fiber of my being). If you ever do post that fic, I will DEFINITELY read it. And I tried to PM you with all of this, but my internet connection wouldn't let me so I did it on here. But could you explain to me what that long thing on your profile is from, what it's based on?**


	23. Surprise, Surprise

**I've lost count of how many times I've had to say this over the course of this story, but I'm so sorry for the delay in uploading. This is my senior year. It's hard. But on the good side, I've had to do so much typing lately that I can now type without having to look at the keyboard at all. Bonus on my part :)**

Words could not possibly describe how proud Freddie was of Sam. The first marking period of school had passed, and Freddie had opened his apartment door to an overjoyed Sam bounding into his arms.

"Freddie, I did it! I passed! Look at my grades, just look at them!" Sam beamed, thrusting her report card under Freddie's nose and waving it around.

He laughed at Sam's exuberance. "Sam! I have to be able to see it to read it!" His bouncing girlfriend reluctantly halted her excited jumping and calmly handed Freddie the sheet of paper. Freddie's eyes raked the report, growing wide.

Sam had managed to get five A's and two B's. It was the best report card she had ever gotten in her life, hugely surpassing her final sixth grade report card where she had earned straight C's.

"Sam..." For the first time in his life, words failed Freddie. The piece of paper with Sam's documented success fluttered to the floor as Freddie swept Sam into a bear hug. He would have done more than that, but his mother was in her room and Freddie knew that if they caused too much of a ruckus, she would hear and immediately prohibit Sam from ever stepping foot into the apartment again while simultaneously forcing Freddie to take a hospital-grade sanitation shower.

Sam apparently didn't get the mental memo to keep it G-rated, because she pulled back slightly from the hug and pressed her lips to his. Freddie wanted to pull away but with Sam's mother dying over the summer and their frequent study sessions, he did not get to see as much of his girlfriend as he would have wanted. It seemed like they were never alone anymore. Granted, they still weren't alone, but it was better than nothing.

He willingly kissed Sam with more pressure, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. His teenage hormones had no problem with this, and neither did he. In fact, it gave the whole situation an added thrill to know that it could be forced to end at any moment.

Sam deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue past his lips and into his mouth. Freddie groaned. His hands found her lower back, playing with the strip of skin there that had been exposed when she put her arms around his neck. Freddie felt Sam's fingers intertwine in his hair, pulling at the strands at the nape of his neck.

Freddie growled. He didn't know who taught Sam her skills, but he simultaneously wanted to thank them and punch them in the face. Whatever she was doing with her mouth was incredible and was starting to make him light-headed.

Neither of them realized that they were slowly inching backwards to Freddie's room until Freddie's knees hit the back of his mattress and he fell on his back, pulling Sam down with him. She giggled against his lips and readjusted herself so that he was sitting against his headboard and she was astride his lap. Freddie shifted his hips uncomfortably and the stereo remote that he had been sitting on sprung to life, filling the room with the soft notes of Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird American Mouth". He inwardly chuckled, thanking whatever deity there was that nothing more embarrassing had happened or that his Pearpod hadn't started playing the annoying Justin Bieber song that Gibby had put on there as a joke but Freddie hadn't got around to removing.

Sam returned her lips to his at the same moment that he lifted his hips to remove the remote from under his butt. Sam's own hips bucked at the unexpected contact and if Freddie hadn't been paying attention, the music would have masked the tiny groan that escaped Sam's lips.

Honestly, it was the hottest thing he had ever heard.

Freddie wrapped both of his arms around Sam's back and yanked her closer to him, bringing his right hand up and tangling it in the mass of blonde curls on the back of her neck. He intensified the kiss, putting more pressure on her lips.

Sam's fingers deftly unbuttoned the plaid button-down shirt he was wearing and slipped inside of his shirt, nails raking against his toned chest and toying with the whirl of hair that descended from his navel and disappeared underneath his boxers. Freddie shuddered involuntarily and felt Sam's signature smirk beneath his lips.

Oh, no. That would not do. Even through the haze of love and lust and teenage hormones, he could tell that Sam was getting the upper hand. Chivalrous as he may be, Freddie was not about to let Sam forget that he had just as much power in the relationship as she did.

Freddie lifted Sam's hair and flung it over her other shoulder, removing his lips from hers and descending on her neck. He kissed a line from her collarbone to right below her ear and back down again, grinning when Sam let her head fall back and her breathing got faster and more shallow.

"Benson..." Sam breathed. The beast inside Freddie's chest whooped victoriously as Sam ground her hips against his.

Sam didn't know when she lost the upper hand. The nub was doing wonderful things with his lips at that moment, things that made her want to grind against him and smile when she felt the rather large bulge in his zipper area. She was fairly sure that she was mumbling incoherently at that point, what with the vacillation Freddie was doing in between her lips and her neck. Sam hadn't even told him that her neck and ears were one of the areas that made her go weak at the knees. She felt slightly proud of him for accomplishing it all on his own.

As Freddie turned her into a pile of goo, Sam realized that she was nearing the point to where Freddie would have complete dominance over their heated make-out session. Her thoughts mirroring his from moments ago, she decided that him having the upper hand was completely and utterly unacceptable. So she did something that she knew would drive him absolutely wild: she ripped his shirt off his body (making sure to not actually rip his shirt, because his mom was still in her room and would definitely hear the sound of her son's shirt ripping and would come to investigate).

Freddie gaped at her like a fish as she tossed his shirt over her head, in the general vicinity of his desk. While he was rendered momentarily speechless, Sam quickly yanked the teal penny tee she stole from Carly that moment over her head. That left her in only a tangerine-colored bra that she had bought about a year ago that also happened to be a bit on the small side. It had bothered her that morning when she put it on, but not now. Freddie's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

Sam resumed kissing her boyfriend before he had a chance to protest her actions. This was something she needed, damn it. She needed this physical closeness, this intimacy, this desperate need.

It took Freddie a few seconds to respond. Sam guessed he was shocked at her forwardness.

_He should really know better by now_, Sam thought. _He was the first person to call me "Ready, fire, aim."_

Those few seconds where he was frozen in Sam's embrace, Freddie's mind went for a joyride. He was just like any other teen male; he had seen his fair share of indecent women on the internet. But this...this seemed otherworldly.

With an animalistic growl, Freddie returned Sam's kisses. He grabbed the sides of her hips and pulled her roughly back to her former position on his lap, only slightly embarrassed when she brushed the top of the uncomfortable tightness in his jeans.

Unfortunately, the sudden force with which Freddie yanked Sam back onto him caused the headboard of his bed to crash in the wall.

"What was that? Freddie? Sam? What was that noise?" Mrs. Benson called from her bedroom.

"Fuck." Sam muttered, crawling off of Freddie quickly to grab her shirt and fix her disheveled appearance. The sound of the curse word from his girlfriend's mouth made Freddie want to forget his mother and drag Sam back down again, but he refrained. If his mother came in and saw them in their condition, Sam would be banned from his apartment for life.

"My sentiments exactly." Freddie said under his voice to Sam. "Nothing, Mom. I accidentally dropped my laptop on the floor."

"Oh. Okay. Are you hurt? Do I need to get the first-aid suitcase?"

"No, Mom. I promise we're both okay."

"Alright then. But please come out of your room. I know what teenagers do these days, and I won't have those shenanigans occuring under my roof."

Sam snickered quietly. If Mrs. Benson only knew.

**I know that was kind of on the shorter side, but I was hoping that the Seddieness would make up for it. Did it?**

**Reviews are my drug of choice. Help feed my addiction, why don't you?**


	24. Dance, Magic, Dance

**Sorry for the wait. This is exactly why I'm not going to upload the Fred/Hermione fic that I've been dabbling on in my spare time any time soon. I'm going to finish out this one and my Draco/Hermione before I start ANY new projects. It would just be cruel, because you all and my Before I Fall readers already have a long enough wait inbetween new chapters without me adding a new story to the mix.**

**By the way, I got a job. Yay me, I know. But unfortunately it cuts down more on my free time since now whenever I'm home all I want to do is sleep. I'm not even lying. I slept until one in the afternoon today. **

"Sam, come on. I know dress shopping isn't your thing, but this is Homecoming. You can't just wear shorts and a penny tee." Carly said, clearly exasperated with her hellion of a best friend. It was two weeks before the Homecoming dance, and they were supposed to be shopping for dresses for her and Sam.

Supposed being the operative word.

Sam was no help at all, immediately rejecting all of Carly's attempts at dresses. Carly had chosen one for herself at the second store they'd tried, a light lavender dress that twirled prettily when she moved and would look great on the dance floor.

That was six stores and one mall ago.

"Oh god, no. Why would you even think I would wear that? It looks like something a daffodil would wear." Sam was horrified at the pink frilly dress that Carly had pulled from the rack. It had more ruffles than Sam could possibly know what to do with.

It didn't even look like a dress. It looked like a very decorated cake.

"It's not that bad. It's cute!" Carly defended the dress/dessert's honor.

"Just put it back on the rack and back away slowly. It might strangle you with all those ruffles. You should be very, very afraid. I know I am."

Carly huffed, frustrated. She was beginning to think that Sam would never decide on a dress. Carly had been nice in the previous years and let Sam skip out on the dances, but not this year. This year Sam had Freddie, so there wasn't an excuse for either of them to miss Homecoming.

Carly saw Sam open her mouth, presumably to suggest that they abandon this store and move on to the next one (or even forget shopping altogether) when something along the far wall of the shop got her attention. She watched her best friend literally run across the store, bowling down a girl from their science class and grabbing a red dress that the girl had her hand on.

Sam sauntered back to Carly, looking pleased with herself.

"I found one." Sam smiled.

Carly snickered. It was just so typically Sam to maim a classmate in the name of fashion that she hadn't wanted to pursue in the first place. "Was it really necessary to knock Cassie Schriber to the floor though?"

"She had her eyes on the dress I wanted! But, if you want, I can give it to her and we can spend another endless amount of time searching for another dress as perfect as this one." The vicious but lovable blonde kept a firm hold of the dress and made her way tot he dressing rooms in the back of the store. Carly waited patiently by the mirrors, waiting for her friend to emerge with the dress that had been worth so much to her.

When Sam finally came out, Carly had to agree that the dress suited Sam perfectly. It was a scarlet red, flapper style dress that hit Sam mid-thigh and had row upon row of dangling beads that swished and swayed whenever Sam moved even the slightest bit. The neckline was sweetheart style, and complemented Sam's chest without seeming slutty.

"Oh, Sam. It's perfect."

Sam twirled in the mirror for the first time in living memory. A part of Carly wanted to whip out her phone and record what had to be the girliest moment in Sam's life, ever. But she refrained, because she knew that Sam wouldn't repeat it for the rest of her life it she got wind that Carly had documentation of this.

"It is, isn't it?" The girls dallied in the dressing room until the initial thrill of Sam's discovery wore off and the impatient blonde demanded food and then a return to the apartment.

Carly could only laugh. This was Sam, after all.

000

"No."

"Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"."

"Don't me. It's not happening."

"Please? For me?"

"I said no! I agreed to the manicure and the pedicure and letting your fabulous hairdresser do that thing with the foil on my hair. I'm even wearing one of those special bras for dresses with straps. But NO WAY am I going to let you force me into those death traps you call shoes."

"Don't make me do this, Sam."

Sam squinted at her best friend. "Do what?"

Carly said nothing, instead choosing to type out a quick text on her phone. She sat on her ice cream sandwich couch and stared at Sam silently.

"Stop staring at me, Shay. It's worse than your puppy dog eyes."

Carly didn't stop.

Sam was beginning to wonder who Carly had texted when the unmistakeable sound of knee-high boots hitting wood got closer and closer to Carly's bedroom door.

_Oh, god. She didn't._

But she had.

Carly had called in reinforcements in the form of Carlos.

"Why is it that I only get an SOS text if it's a fashion emergency? The next time I get a text demanding that I come over, it better be to be featured on iCarly or heads are going to roll."

"Noted, Carlos. What's up?" Sam asked, grinning. She hadn't seen Carlos in weeks, and it felt like forever. He was right; they really needed to have him on iCarly.

"Don't ask me what's up, Samantha Joy Puckett. Carly says you refuse to put on the shoes that will match that glorious dress of yours?" Carlos asked, hands on his hips.

"Carlos. Those aren't shoes. Those are immediate death in shoe form. What sadistic jerk invented stilettos anyway?"

"Stop trying to deflect. It's not going to work. Here's what's going to happen, though: you are going to put on those gorgeous shoes and walk downstairs to where that hot hunk of meat you call a boyfriend will be waiting for you. He will see you in those shoes and his brain will explode and you will have a fabulous time tonight. Do you understand me?" Carlos said in his best military commander voice.

"Yes sir, Your Almighty Fabulousness! Right away!" Sam stood and saluted Carlos, who in addition to Carly burst out laughing.

"Not so fast, Sergeant Sarcasm. Your hair and makeup still need to be finished." Carlos quickly pushed Sam back down into the seat.

Forty-five minutes later, Sam looked like a girl straight from a Prohibition Era speakeasy. Carlos had worked some crazy wonderul magic with her curls, making them frame her face in an Old Hollywood kind of way. Red lipstick that perfectly matched her dress covered her lips, and her blue eyes were lined with liquid liner.

Carly was dolled out too, in her lavender dress and pin straight chestnut hair. The lucky girl wasn't forced into painful shoes, instead being allowed to wear a pair of black studded booties that playfully contrasted the daffodility of her dress.

"Aww, look at my two knockouts. Now go show the rest of the world what I've done and if any of your female friends ever need a personal stylist, give them my number." Carlos said, shoving them out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards their dates. Sam noticed her reflection in a mirror and had to admit that the red stilettos were a great touch.

000

The shoes drove Freddie wild, in any case. After Sam and Carly had descended the staircase, Sam thought that Freddie would lose his pants. The way he had looked at Sam as he tied the corsage to her wrist made a swarm of butterflies assault her stomach for the whole duration of Spencer forcing her, Freddie, Carly and Brad to pose for pictures in their fancy attire.

That was just under an hour, and the violent butterflies were back.

Sam had to admit, the dance wasn't that bad. Sure, the food sucked and she was pretty sure that Mrs. Briggs and Mr. Howard were making out in a dark corner somewhere, but it could have been infinitely worse. Sam and Carly had made a point to dominate the dance floor when the DJ played Sam's favorite dance songs: I Like It by Enrique Iglesias, Telephone by Lady Gaga, Glad You Came by The Wanted, and Starstrukk and Don't Trust Me by 3Oh!3.

The DJ had eventually had to switch to slower songs, which is where she was at that pointZ: the middle of the crowded dance floor, esconced in Freddie's arms as Enrique Iglesias crooned about wanting to be her hero.

"This wasn't the worst way we could have spent a Saturday night." Freddie said, tightening his grip on Sam's waist.

"Nope. I'm not saying that I'm going to turn into a raging party girl and spend every weekend living it up, but once in a while might not be so bad. There are only so many action movies we can watch in one night." Sam teased, smirking up at her boyfriend who had the playful decency to act shocked.

"What are these blasphemous words of which you speak? I seem to recall that you took a very fond interest in my Marvel movie collection..."

"Nub, it's hot, muscled guys in skintight suits with superpowers. I'd have to be catatonic to not appreciate that."

"Touche."

The DJ switched from Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" to "Hello" by Lionel Richie.

"Dang. This DJ knows his chiz. I love this song." Sam sighed, resting her head on Freddie's chest.

"'Cause I wonder where you are, and I wonder what you do. Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you? Tell me how to win your heart, 'cause I haven't got a clue." Freddie sang obnoxiously off-key.

"So help you, Benson, if you ruin this song for me I will ruin the possibility of children for you." Sam threatened and then snickered when Freddie immediately stopped singing. She knew that he knew that she wouldn't actually hurt him, and that nowadays it might actually be a fair fight should push come to shove, but that didn't stop him when it came to playing with her.

"You know what, Sammie?"

"What, Fredward?"

"Regardless of all of your threats on my life and the fact that you constantly take my food or make me buy you food and that this is essentially an abusive relationship, I kinf of love you. Weird, huh?" Freddie said. He looked down into Sam's eyes, which glittered with words that he knew that Sam considered far too girly and muchy to ever actually say. He knew they were there, though, and that's all that mattered.

Sam rose on her tip toes and pressed her lips lightly to Freddie's. She wanted to take it a smidge further, but the room full of swaying teenagers was a slight buzzkill.

"It is weird. I'm not sure how it happened, but I kind of love you too."

000

As Freddie helped carry a sleeping Sam into the Shay's apartment that night and tucked his exhausted girlfriend into her bed, he remarked mentally exactly how peaceful she looked. A small part of him wished that she could just be like that forever, and be eternally guarded from the evils of the universe.

The much larger, more manly part of him smacked the smaller half and told him to stop being a sissy, because Sam could protect herself just fine and might possibly hurt Freddie for bothering to think such gushy thoughts.

"Freddie?" Sam murmured sleepily in a small voice more appropriately suited for a five-year-old. It automatically ranked as one of the cutest things Freddie had ever seen.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Can you stay with me? I know your mom is working tonight."

Freddie debated his options. He could either return to his own cold, dark, empty apartment in his own cold, dark, empty bed or he could crash with his warm, soft girlfriend. He knew Spencer wouldn't care and would cover for him if his mom came calling.

"Sure, Sam. I'll stay."

"Good. Now come here so I can sleep." Sam ordered. Freddie laughed and shed his shoes, jacket, tie, vest and belt. He climbed into Sam's bed and wrapped one arm over her midsection, using the other to pull up her covers around them. Sam twisted in his arms so she faced him and her face tucked neatly in the crevice between his neck and shoulders.

"Night, Princess Puckett." Freddie kissed Sam's forehead, brushing her hair off her face so that it wouldn't tickle her nose as she slept.

"Night, Prince Nubbington."

**There you go. The idea of Homecoming has been bouncing around in my head for months now. I hope it was okay.**

**Leave me some love?**

**I'm on Tumblr now. amyclough dot tumblr dot com. All lower case. Follow me? If you send me a message there and ask me to, I'll follow back. **


	25. Turn The Heat Up

**I apologize for the delay in this. I got writer's block like crazy. The songs that FINALLY gave me inspiration? Grace Potter and the Nocturnal's "Paris (Ooh La La)" and Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird American Mouth". Also "Shake" by Jesse McCartney. **

Sam woke up much warmer than she could remember being since her mother died. It only took a moment of disorientation to realize that the cause of her warmth was Freddie, who had stayed the night with her per her request.

She usually woke up cold. Not just the cold that left you shivering, cold that was brought on by accidentally falling asleep without covers on. Sam woke up in cold sweats because the realization that her mother was gone from this earth left her feeling somewhat empty inside. No matter how long it had been since Pam Puckett died, a part of Sam would never got over it.

She was Sam's mother, and she was gone.

In those last few months, Freddie, Carly and Spencer (and even Gibby) had become her lifeline. Without them, and with Melanie gone at her fancy boarding school, Sam would have lost her way for sure. Probably resorted to a life of crime, escalated from her previous offenses. But no, Sam had had people to lean on, a wonderful boyfriend who supported her, and friends who helped her become more than she had ever imagined was possible.

In their sleep, Freddie had wrapped his arms around Sam's waist protectively. In doing this, he also unintentionally ensured that Sam was well trapped against his waist.

Attached to his waist was his groin area, where he was having the same problem that men complained of every morning.

Sam was torn between wanting to cringe away with embarrassment and wanting to laugh her head off. The only thing that kept her from wriggling out of Freddie's embrace was the warm tension in the pit of her stomach that reminded her of the night she brought her report card to Freddie and the hot make-out session they had afterwards. They hadn't had the opportunity for a repeat performance since. That longing feeling mixed with the wall of prodding body parts that was Freddie behind her made Sam feel flushed.

Try hard as she might to ignore her wily teenage hormones in favor of focusing on her future, her body was not willing to ignore Freddie. It was easier to do when Freddie was still a scrawny nub that hadn't hit puberty yet. Now he was, as Carlos so aptly described, "a wall of luscious man meat".

Carlos was really just so intuitive and accurate sometimes.

"Sammie?" Freddie mumbled, finally waking up. His arms clenched tighter around Sam's stomach, and she smiled. From what Sam could tell, either nobody else was awake yet or nobody was home. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was well past noon. So nobody was home, then. Most weekend afternoons had Spencer noisily rambling around the apartment, building a sculpture and Carly usually either had plans with Sam and Freddie or was at the pool. Sam could hear no noise coming from the rest of the house, which meant that Spencer was out shopping for sculpture supplies and Carly was out swimming. If she was home, she would have been playing music or watching television as background fodder for whatever she was actually doing. Like Sam, Carly hated complete silence. "What time is it?"

"Just after one thirty."

"Really?" Freddie said, sitting up and checking the clock on the table beside Sam's bed. Sam noticed how Freddie quite reluctantly let go of Sam, but was not as hesitant about maneuvering Sam away from the straining pant fabric near his waist. Sam also noticed that Freddie had what had to be the world's most adorable case of bedhead ever. It was all tousled and sticking up in places where he had put gel in it to keep it in place for the dance the night before and then slept in it.

Sam couldn't help herself.

She really couldn't.

Freddie caught on to Sam's intentions a second before her lips connected to his. Unbeknownst to Sam, he had been suffering from the same feelings of longing and frustration with being unable to be fully alone together. Freddie tried to keep control at first, keeping his hands to himself (they had a tendency to wander) but Sam had other plans. Before he knew it, Sam was tracing the line of his lips with her tongue and Freddie placed his hands on either side of Sam's hips and yanked her on top of his lap.

"Holy chiz, Benson. You trying to kill me or something?" Sam whispered against Freddie's ear, a breathy moan that only brought back the issue in Freddie's pants that he had so valiantly defeated just a few minutes prior to their current situation with thoughts of his mother and Gunsmoke in the intimate embrace he had walked on in his kitchen three days ago.

"Says the girl who initiated this," Freddie groaned. Sam's mouth was pressing against his neck and the shell of his ear and he was glad that he wasn't standing because his knees might have gone out by now. However, it seemed like Sam had near complete control of herself and that was just unfair. She could turn his legs to jelly with a smirk on her face while he sat there completely, mercilessly at her disposal?

Not on his watch.

A few months back, before Sam's mom died, Freddie discovered this spot on Sam's collarbone that elicited a moan from Sam that if Freddie hadn't had Sam in his grasp and known that there was nobody else in the room, he would have sworn that Carly had done it. It was high-pitched and girly and squeaky and not like Sam at all.

Of course, Freddie had catalogued it for future use, just in case any situations like these ever came up again.

With ninjalike speed that would have made Sam proud had they not been in a rather compromising situation, Freddie had flipped them over so that Sam was lying beneath him on her bed, hair splayed across the sheets and safely out of the way of what his main goal was. Freddie loved Sam's hair, but it wasn't nearly as beautiful when it got in his mouth or laced in his clothes like thread.

He dragged his lips in long, lingering kisses from the tip of Sam's ear down her neck and was rewarded with several moans from his girlfriend that had him smirking against her neck, a smirk that was quickly erased when he reached her collarbone and Sam responded by wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing down onto him.

"Unngh." Freddie tried to articulate his spinning thoughts, but just couldn't. In the span of five seconds, Sam had flipped them back over and was kissing him intensely, tongues battling and hands roaming.

Every time Freddie's fingers found a new sensitive spot on Sam, she mewled and ground her hips down onto his. The embarrassment that she had had earlier concerning Freddie's arousal was long gone, replaced by a sense of feminine power and awe that she could make him feel like that and a similar sense of just wanting to rip his clothes off and get it on already.

That's exactly what she did.

Before her oddly moral and gentlemanly boyfriend could object, Sam made quick work of unbuttoning Freddie's shirt and throwing it across the room, lifting the undershirt over his head and raking her nails along his stomach and down the line of hair that descended into his boxers.

Freddie froze underneath her. Beside her brazenness in removing her shirt the last time they were in a situation like this, they had never gone this far before. It wasn't that he had never wanted to; he was a teenage boy with raging hormones. Of course he wanted to take things farther. But he had so much respect (and also a little bit of fear) for Sam and his mother had always raised him right, taught him how to treat a lady and gave him a very explicit and mentally scarring sex talk. He wasn't going to pressure Sam into doing anything she wasn't truly ready to do.

"Nub, stop worrying. I can hear the gears in your head going overtime. This is something I want. You know me; if I wanted to stop, I could break both of your thumbs. Stop thinking so much, it's actually killing the vibe a smidge." Sam murmured. If she had wanted to back out, she would have done it. She wasn't entirely sure at that moment if she was fully ready to have sex with Freddie, but she did know that she wanted him right then and they were both wearing far too many clothes for her taste.

Sam took the hand that was resting on the waistband of Freddie's dress pants and brought it slowly up his body, lingering on his chest a little bit before twining her fingers in the hair at the nape of her boyfriend's neck and bringing his mouth up to hers.

Freddie unfroze his limbs and placed both of his hands tightly on her thighs, burrowing up further and further underneath the red dress that he loved so much until his hands rested on either side of-

Freddie opened his eyes and gawked down at the bottom half of Sam's body. He knew that Carly, though girly, wasn't much of a risk taker when it came to underclothes. Being best friends with two females, you just came to know these things. But covering Sam's more womanly parts was a pair of black panties trimmed in fire engine red lace.

Sam raised her eyebrow and smirked when Freddie met her gaze, pupils dilated.

"I thought you'd like them."

"Them?"

"Well duh. With Carlos and Carly, did you really think they'd let me leave the house for a dance with only the hot underwear?" Sam still refused to say panties. "I'm wearing a matching bra. Silly Freddie."

Freddie tore her dress off so fast that one of the straps popped. True to her word, Sam was decked out in a strapless bra that was black with red lace.

"Carlos is gonna kill you for ripping the dress, you know."

"Uh huh."

"He might forcibly introduce you to one of his gay friends, tell them that you play for their team."

"Uh huh."

"Then he'll suggest that you guys have a threesome with E.T."

"Uh hu-not funny, Sam."

"Well it's not my fault if you were distracted by Mama's hot body. I could have gotten you to agree to naming your future kid Fruit Loops or something."

"Maybe I was distracted. What exactly are you going to do about it?" Sam said nothing, just covered Freddie's mouth with her own. Freddie thought he was in the clear until Sam's hand wandered to his belt and undid it, sliding it from the belt loops of his pants and throwing it with an impressive crack across the room. She unsnapped the button on his pants and slid down the zipper.

"I'm in my bra and underwear and you're still 50% covered. That needs to change. If I'm this exposed, you're going to be too. Capiche?"

"Capiche." Freddie used his feet and lifted both himself and the mass of girlfriend on his lap off the mattress so he could pull his pants (but not his boxers, Sam might kill him for getting totally naked and he would prefer not to die just yet) down near his knees. His butt fell back to the bed and Sam collapsed clumsily pressed to his chest with a muffled _oomph_ against his lips. He reached behind Sam's back and grabbed the fabric of his pants and yanked them off, sending them to join the pile near Sam's closet door that consisted of Sam's dress and his shirts and belt.

"Much better."

Taking one deep, bracing breath, Freddie moved one of his hands from it's position on her hip to her bra, nudging it out of the way and teasing her nipple. He brought his other hand up to her other breast and had fully unclipped her bra (in record time for an unexperienced sixteen-year-old, mind you) when Sam's bedroom door opened and the loud, horror-movie-quality scream that could only belong to Carly Shay rang throughout the room.

"Oh my god! Are you two-"

"No! We're not, Carls, this just looks really bad." Sam said quickly, sliding off Freddie's lap and pulling the blankets over both of them before Carly had the chance to see Freddie's erection straining against his nerdy yet admittedly adorable Galaxy Wars boxers.

"But...but...you two are..."

"I'll be out in a second, just give me and him a chance to get dressed. He needs to head home anyway, before Crazy assassinates him for not coming home."

"O-okay. Just...ew." Carly stammered, running out of the room and slamming the door behind her. Once again listening to the commotion in the other rooms, Sam deduced that Spencer wasn't home yet. That was a saving grace Sam hadn't expected. The upcoming talk with Carly was going to be enough without having to explain the situation to Spencer.

"Here are your clothes. I suggest that you don't come here for at least eight hours, unless you want up in the Spanish Inquisition that I'm about to get from Carly."

"I still can't believe we didn't hear her coming."

"Right? Although you can do some things with that mouth, Benson. We should definitely regroup soon, sometime when we're definitely not going to be interrupted."

"Definitely." Freddie said, pulling his undershirt over his head. He was in a hurry to get in and out of that apartment as fast as possible. He felt bad for Sam and what she was about to be subjected to, but he wasn't up for hearing Carly squeal and live vicariously through he and Sam's interludes.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Don't put that undershirt back on."

"Why not?"

Sam looked at her feet. Standing in front of him in just that criminally sexy bra and a pair of boxer shorts that he was sure she had stolen from him a while back and now used as shorts, she looked more beautiful than anyone should ever have a right to. "I want to keep it. I'm your girlfriend and I don't have nearly enough articles of your clothing."

Freddie smiled and took the shirt off, pulling it down over Sam's head and laughing because it was quite obviously two sizes too big for her.

Once Freddie was composed enough to make it to his house without arousing unwarranted attention from his mother, he leaned over and kissed Sam on the forehead. "I love you. Good luck with Carly."

"Thanks. Love you too."

Sam walked him to the apartment door, where Freddie kissed her one more time before walking over to his own place of residence toward his own battle with a crazy brunette. Sighing, Sam made her way up to Carly's room, mentally steeling herself for what was sure to be an agonizingly thorough discussion of her and Freddie's budding sex life.

000

Later that night, after Carly had grilled her for over three hours, Sam had retreated to the studio for a marathon session of Modern Warfare 3 to get the image of Carly describing childbirth out of her brain. By the time she finally got back down to her room to rummage for her stash of Fat Cakes, there was a box of condoms resting delicately on her pillow.

Sam picked up the box, noting that Carly had purchased the average size.

"Hey, Carls!" Sam only shouted because Spencer still wasn't back (he was on a date with some chick he had met at the doctor's).

"What, you little trollop?"

"These won't fit Fredward."

"What do you mean, they won't fit?"

"Just that: they won't fit. These are way too small."

"Oh my god, too much information!" Carly shrieked. Sam stood her ground, knowing what was coming next. "...Really? They're too small?"

"Totally. You should have scooped him up when you had the chance, Shay. You don't know what you're missing."

**There you go. Don't kill me for the wait! Please?**

**Is it bad if I have boycotted iCarly until they get Freddie and Sam back together?**

**Reviews? I adore them. Would it be too dramatic to say that they are the reason I exist?**

**If you want to follow me on Tumblr, my url is amyclough . tumblr . com. It's much easier to yell at me to write on there, since I'm on Tumblr at least three times a day if not more.**


	26. Everyone Bow To The Pumpkin King

"Can I be a-"

"No, Sam. Absolutely not. We're going to be broadcasting to over a million people on Halloween night. There is no way I'm letting you get in front of that camera dressed up as a Dirty Devil." Carly said, an unusually stern expression on her face.

Sam sighed. Carly was right. Although the costume was great, and would undoubtedly look wonderful on her, parents would ban their children from watching iCarly if Sam got on camera looking like this.

Carly noticed the dejected expression on Sam's face. "You know, just because you can't wear it on the show doesn't mean you can't wear it to Gibby's Halloween party. If Freddie saw you in that, his pants would probably explode."

"In the good way or in the unfortunate Spencer way?" Sam smirked.

"The good way. At least, I hope his pants wouldn't spontaneously combust."

"Well I'm getting it. I can always get another one for the show. How about a superhero? OH MY GOD, I know! I know what I'm going to be!" Sam shouted, already running across the costume store to look at the superhero costumes.

"Nothing too inappropriate, Sam!" Carly yelled, trailing after her friend with her own selected '50s poodle skirt and button-up shirt combo. She didn't get the chance to see what Sam grabbed before the blonde scampered into the dressing room. Carly patiently waited on the little bench outside the stalls.

"Ta daaaaaaaaaaah!" Sam sung when she finally emerged. Carly dropped her phone (she had been texting Gibby) on the ground and burst into laughter.

Thor.

Sam was dressed up as Thor.

"Only you, Sam." Carly said as soon as she reined in her laughter. "Only you would choose a male superhero and still weirdly pull it off."

"It's the hair. Now if I could get Freddie to dress up as Loki..." Sam's voice trailed off as she succumbed to her thoughts. "Carly, hand me my phone. I need it. Now."

Carly walked back to the main part of the store as Sam simultaneously tried to convince Freddie to wear a Loki costume and get back in her regular clothes. By the time Sam made her way out of the dressing rooms, Carly had paid for her costume. "What did Freddie say?"

"He actually kinda digs the fact that we're going as superheroes. He said yeah, and to get the costume now and he'll just pay Spencer back the next time he runs to the bank. Ugh, can you believe it? I'm doing one of those sickeningly adorable couple costume match deals. The things I do for the nub..." Sam sighed, grabbing a Loki costume and the needed accessories in Freddie's size.

000

"Alright, group photo!" Mrs. Benson called. Sam, Carly and Freddie had caved and agreed to let Spencer be a part of that night's iCarly in full, not just for the baby sketch. They were assembled in the Shays' living room, and Mrs. Benson had decreed that the sight of everyone in their Halloween getups was too good of an opportunity to let pass without photographic evidence.

Sam was Thor.

Freddie was Loki.

Carly was the Black Widow (the group had decided to go for all superhero costumes as a group theme, so Carly had given her fifties pinup girl outfit to Wendy).

Spencer was Iron Man.

Gibby, in true Gibby form, was the Hulk. It had been remarkable difficult to persuade him that green body paint was not needed over the parts of him that would be covered by his purple cutoff shorts.

Three hours later, iCarly webisode done and Gibby's Halloween party in full swing, Sam was amusedly looking on at a very inebriated Carly. Even though they could easily call a cab from Gibby's place back to Bushwell, Sam still made it clear that she was going to stay sober. In a show of solidarity, Freddie promised the same.

Apparently Carly did not share the same views.

They had only been at the party for a little over an hour when Carly came teetering up to Sam on her dangerously tall stiletto heels, rambling drunkenly about some body part of Gibby's that Carly believed looked good surrounded by green body paint. Sam had initially tuned her best friend out, but when Carly started waxing on poetically about Gibby Gibson is when it was time to pay attention.

Carly mumbled nonsensically for a few more moments before walking away. Sam almost ran up to her and told her to relinquish her shoes that way she wouldn't fall and embarrass herself.

Almost.

But what would a party be without some drunk-off-her-ass girl falling flat on her face because she was an idiot and wore stilettos to a party?

No, Sam was perfectly fine where she was at, thank you very much.

A pair of arms esconced in a gold and green jacket wrapped around her waist, and from the combination of the costume and the cologne that he wears, Sam knew that it was Freddie. That, and the fact that there were very large curved golden horns from Freddie's Loki hat poking the back of her head.

"Hey there, princess. Enjoying the show?" Freddie murmured in her ear. Sam instantly decided that her boyfriend was evil, although that's really something she knew the day he handcuffed her to Gibby. He knew exactly what it did to her when he whispers in her ear and he also knew that she was wearing a multilayered costume that took several minutes to put on (and take off).

"There's a drunk Carly, not to mention several other idiots drinking their weight in alcohol. Of course I'm enjoying the show. Plus, if Carly's intoxicated adoration of Gibby is anything to go on, we could possibly have blackmail material for the rest of their lives."

"But what if they actually get together? You can't hold it against them if they get together. You can only do it if they don't remember it the next morning."

"Yeah, but how awesome would it be if they got married and had kids and tried to feed those sickeningly adorable children some cheesy lie about how Mommy and Daddy got together? I will always be there with proof to show that their parents became romantically involved because of one too many beers."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure Gibby's drinking a Shirley Temple." Freddie said, snorting with laughter.

Sam doubled over with laughter, an impressive feat considering the amount of chain mail she was wearing. The image of Carly drinking a beer while Gibby downed a very girly drink was just too funny to bear. She laughed for a solind three minutes until a song that she recognized and loved from her dance classes came blaring through Gibby's speakers.

"Oh my god, I had no idea that Gibby even listened to 80's pop! Come on, nub, dance with me. But ditch the horns first, they get in the way." Sam hopped-literally-toward the dance floor while the opening strains of "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz began. Her dance teacher always played either this or "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen in the beginning of their Advanced class as a way for the girls (and Carlos, who had joined a few months before) to loosen up before beginning their actual routines for the day. She saw Freddie place his Loki horns protectively on Gibby's coffee table before joining her on the floor, trying valiantly to keep up with her before resignedly resorting to doing the white man shuffle while Sam danced circles around him. Literally. After a few seconds or so, however, a girl that Sam knew from her dance classes found her and they did what was obviously a well-practiced routine that involved a lot of hip shaking and hair twirling and leg kicking.

Freddie couldn't help but be slightly jealous. Yeah, he was a dude, but he could appreciate grace and fluidity in motion when he saw it. The sight of Sam writhing on the dance floor brought back memories of the time she completely kicked his ass in that Dance Central video game, which in turn brought back memories of his first kiss with Sam, which made him think of every kiss he'd ever had with Sam since that day.

He could not have been happier when the iPod playlist switched to a slower song, Green Day's "21 Guns". He now had a full excuse to grab his girlfriend (chain mail and male costume and all) and hold her close and sway on the dance floor.

"I love you, you know that?" Freddie said, just loud enough for Sam to hear over the music but not loud enough for everyone else to hear. It's not that he was ashamed to be with Sam. God, no. He would shout from the Space Needle that he loved her if she wanted him too. He just wasn't privy to voyeurism.

"Yeah. I know." He didn't expect her to be as mushy and open with her feelings as he was. She never had been and she never would be. Freddie knew that Sam loved him, and that was good enough. She would never be one of those girls to wear her heart on her sleeve. But she did pull him closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck, her own personal way of saying "I love you" back.

They just stood there and swayed in place, enjoying the closeness the song brought them. Freddie and Sam were able to revel in their alone time before the song switched again, some Hot Chelle Rae song that Freddie knew Sam loved because she constantly danced to it in the morning while she made breakfast, a routine that he and Spencer had secretly dubbed the Boxer Breakfast Breakdance.

With the song change came the reappearance of Carly, still drunk but sans stilletos. Sam hoped that she stashed them somewhere she would remember in the morning, because the alternative was Carly dragging Sam out shoe shopping and Sam truly hated that.

"Hey, guysh! What'sh up? Have-" Carly broke off from her slurring rant to hiccup and look around the immediate area vapidly, "-have you sheen Gibby? You knoooow, Gibby? He alwaysh takes hish shirt off around ush.." The brunette's voice trailed off as she attempted vainly to balance on her feet before tumbling to the ground.

Sam was disappointed. Not in Carly's drunken ways, no. Sam was disappointed that Carly hadn't still been in her heels.

Her fall would have been infinitely funnier than it already was had she been wearing those ridiculously tall high heels.

"Come on, Drunkzilla. We need to get you home before you and Gibson make the proverbial beast with two backs. Trust me, that is NOT a decision that you want to make sober, let alone drunk off your ass." Sam sighed, trying to lift Carly off the ground before turning and giving Freddie a pleading gaze.

With an equally exhausted sigh, Freddie leaned down and lifted Carly by one of her armpits while Sam grabbed the other half of their best friend's body. Carly had apparently passed the giggly-drunk stage and was now at the sleepy-drunk part of her night.

Sam had a feeling that she was going to be Nurse Sam that night and the majority of the next day.

000

It took almost two hours and several disappointed looks from Spencer at his younger sister's actions, but they eventually got Carly into a pair of pajamas and into bed, a glass of water and two Tylenol on her bedside table for when she woke up the next morning or sometime during the night to help combat her inevitable hangover.

After sufficiently tucking Carly in and getting her situated, Sam walked Freddie to the apartment door.

"Night, Freddie. Thanks for being my God of Mischief tonight." Sam said, wrapping Freddie in a hug and a quick kiss before gently nudging him toward his own apartment. Freddie knew that she wasn't being rude, and she probably didn't really want to get rid of him. She just wanted to spare him from Carly's surefire hangover the next day.

It was sweet in a very Sam kind of way.

"Goodnight, princess. I'll call you later, when Seattle's own Miss Lush 2012 isn't incapacitated."

Freddie had expected his mother to be asleep by the time he got home. She hadn't had to work that night, for once, so she had made plans to go to dinner with Gunsmoke. Usually on their date nights, she was home and in bed by around midnight.

Not that night.

No, when Freddie walked through his front door, he found his mother and Gunsmoke sitting on their couch at two in the morning, watching some rerun of Full House.

"Oh good, Freddie, you're home. There's something Gunsmoke and I need to ask you-well not ask, per se, but tell you." Mrs. Benson said, sitting up straight and smoothing her shirt before gesturing Freddie to sit in the chair across from the couch.

"Freddie, dear, you know I love you very much. But in two years you're going to be off to college, and I always thought that I would be alone in this apartment for the first time in eighteen years. The thing is, I won't be alone anymore. I'll have Gunsmoke."

"Yeah, Mom, I know. It was always a given that Gunsmoke would move in here. I mean, it doesn't bother me, you deserve to be happy."

"Gunsmoke proposed. We're getting married." Marissa Benson said in a rush. HSe held out her hand so Freddie could see the respectable ring there.

Freddie was floored. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for his mom and Gunsmoke. He was. Gunsmoke made his mom happy, and he filtered out some of her crazy. It was just sudden, and very unexpected after everything that had transpired that night with Carly.

"Congratulations, you two." Freddie stood and crossed the room, hugging his mother warmly and shaking Gunsmoke's hand. "When is the wedding?"

Gunsmoke piped up for the first time since Freddie arrived back in the apartment. "Soon. It's not the first wedding for either of us. Marissa was thinking somewhere around Christmas, if we could get it together by then."

Freddie nodded. If anyone could throw a wedding together in two months, it would be his mother.

After another round of congratulations and hugs, Freddie retired to his room. It had been quite an interesting night.

**Sorry for the wait. On a happy note, I finally graduated high school. :)**

**If you want, you can follow me on Tumblr or Twitter. My name for both is elchoppo. **

**Review?**


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